Searching for closure
by rjt040190
Summary: chap 17: As she felt more and more comfortable with him around and him knowing her deepest, darkest secrets, Catherine grabbed both his hands in hers and looked at him lovingly. She brought his left hand towards her lips and with her eyes closed, she kissed it softly. Then she did the same with his right hand, her eyes still closed...
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Beauty and the Beast.**

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**Hallo, you guys! I really love Catherine and Vincent. They have so much chemistry together.**

**Here is a little something I wrote.**

**I hope you like it. :)**

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Catherine woke up, gasping for air. She was in a sitting position and observed her surroundings. She was home in her apartment and felt tears rolling down her face.

"Mom." she whispered.

She closed her eyes for a couple of moments, trying to forget the images of her mom being murdered. But it was no use. It's been more than 9 years and she could still remember every little detail of that horrible night.

She shook her head furiously and got up. Catherine sighed deeply and went to her bathroom to wash her face. She walked back into her bed room and looked at the clock. It was 2:30 AM. It was then, that she decided to do something about it. She wasn't sure what she was going to find there, but she just needed to go there. Even if it was just for one last time. She needed to be there and maybe she could get the closure that she so desperately wanted. And needed.

Walking out her room, she wondered if she should tell her sister about it. While standing in front of her room, she decided to leave a note for her. Catherine walked in and left the note on her sister's night stand. She gave her a kiss on the forehead and walked out her room. She went back into her room to change and packed a back pack. Before walking out the front door , Catherine grabbed her car keys and phone.

She got in her car and drove away, thinking about the people in her life. She had gotten to know Vincent well. Very well. For more than 6 months, he had been helping her with her cases. She had very strong feelings for him, but she hadn't act on them because she felt that she wasn't ready yet. It didn't matter to her that he wasn't 100 % human anymore. He was Vincent, the man that saved her life more times than she could count. Of course, her heart seemed to race every time she saw him. But still, she knew that it wasn't wise to act on her feelings for him. Not yet anyway.

She sighed deeply and drove passed his place, but after a couple of minutes she stopped her car and drove back. Catherine stayed in her car and waited. She waited patiently for him. She knew that he would come. She knew that he would sense her. She knew that he'd notice that she needed him.

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It was almost 3 AM, but Vincent couldn't sleep. He dragged himself out of bed and splashed some water on his face. Catherine. She meant so much to him. She had the power to wake up feelings in him. Feelings that he thought he'd never have again. Feelings that could be wonderful, but also very painful if they weren't answered back. She was 'the' beauty and he was the Beast. He laughed at himself and told himself that she didn't feel the same way as he did for her!

He wasn't sure if he was imagining it. But there were times, he saw something in her eyes. Like she cared for him, but more than a friend. Was that really possible?

Vincent cannot forget the first time, she touched his face. The feeling of her soft hands on his skin, made his cheeks heat up tremendously. Like they were on fire! And the look in her eyes were so convincing. And pleading.

But he didn't have the chance to linger on it too long, because she was here! She was close. Catherine. He jumped up from his chair and almost ran to see her. The closer he got to her, the faster his legs moved. His heart raced, almost beating out of his chest. He could hear her breathing and also heard her heartbeat. He took in her scent and almost lost control.

The second she saw him, she jumped out of her car. He saw that she had been crying, making him feel an upcoming rage.

She almost ran towards him, but stopped right in front of him. She looked him in the eyes; two pair of hazel eyes locking on one another.

"What's wrong?" he asked with his gruff voice.

A tear escaped her eye and she whispered." A lot, but I do not want to get into all that. Would you just hold me, Vincent?"

That was all it took. He wrapped his strong arms around her and held her close. She rested her head on his chest and that's when the dam broke. She sobbed uncontrollably. He closed his eyes and tried to soothe her, by running his hand through her gorgeous hair.

Catherine kept crying and after she had calmed down a bit, she said those words. The words that made his heart drop. "I need to sort things out for myself, so I will be going away for a little while. But I will be back, Vincent. I promise."

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**Should he go along with her? **

**Please review?**

**Ruby.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Beauty and the Beast.**

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**Hallo, my lovely readers. Oh my God! Thank you so much for reading my story, for following it, for putting it up as your fave and for the AWESOME reviews! OMG!**

**This is chapter 2, you guys. I hope you enjoy reading it. **

* * *

**To Ashley**: Thank u for the review! :) I am glad you like the story.

**To guest 1**: Thank u for the review! Let us see in this chap, if he goes along with her. :)

**To guest 2**: Thank u for the review! Yes, he should go with her but will she let him? We shall see... :)

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**And PLEASE review! The more reviews, the faster I update! Reviews inspire me to write. :)**

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Catherine pulled back first from their embrace and looked away. She didn't have the courage to look him in the eyes. She wanted to ask him if he wanted to go with her, but she was afraid. Afraid of so many things. She was afraid of the way her mind and heart were reacting to him. To all of him; his whole being. And not to forget how her body reacted to his presence. Knowing that he was near, made her feel so exposed. Every time he locked eyes with her, she felt like he could see right through her soul. Or was it just her imagination? She had never experienced this before with other men. Not with the others she had dated nor with Evan. Yes, Evan was indeed very handsome and charming. But Vincent, and his eyes, his hands and just Vincent, were a whole other story. Everything about him, made her **heart** race. Of course, she hadn't admitted it to anyone. Not even to herself, but she knew she was losing the fight. Catherine wasn't ready to act on her feelings for him, but her mind was slowly but surely losing from her **heart.** And from her body of course.

He wasn't like other men. She mentally slapped herself; well of course not, he wasn't 100 % human anymore! But she liked that about him. Correction, she loved that very much. For example: She liked the scar on his cheek. How many times did she almost want to trace that scar with her forefinger? It looked so sexy on him; that was her personal opinion of course. How many times did she want to run her hands through his thick, dark hair? Countless times was the answer. How many times did she have the urge to press her lips on his? Probably a hundred times, was the answer to that question.

Yes, she told herself that she wasn't ready to act on her feelings for him. But, her mind is definitely losing from her **heart**. And from her body.

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She was taken out of her thoughts by Vincent calling her.

"Catherine?" he said.

He was trying to look her in the eyes, but she was still avoiding his gaze. Afraid, she was very afraid to face him.

He saw that she didn't want to look at him, so he softly cupped her face and made her look at him. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply.

"Will you look at me, Catherine?" he asked.

She had no choice, so she looked him in the eyes. And bang! There it was; she knew that she should've been afraid to lock eyes with him.

She saw him; all of him. His hazel eyes were boring into her, making her almost lose control. She desperately wanted to ask him.

_' Please join me on my trip?'_

But she miraculously didn't let those words leave her lips. Instead she stared back at him and with a trembling voice, she asked.

"Yes?"

"Tell me, what happened. Why do you have to go away all of a sudden?" he asked.

She swallowed hard before answering. She said. "I have to be somewhere important. And I have to go alone."

Even she was shocked that those words left her lips.

Vincent immediately let go of her face, making Catherine whimper softly at the loss of his warm hands on her skin. She wanted to yell:_' Don't let me go.'_

But instead she sighed deeply and held her head up high.

"Can't you tell me anything? Where are you exactly going? Is it dangerous?" he asked, with a worried tone in his voice.

Those were the words he said out loud, but what he desperately wanted to add to it was._ 'Don't go. Please stay.' And 'Please, can I go along with you?'_

But those words refused to leave his lips.

Catherine shook her head and answered." No, I cannot tell you and no, it's not dangerous."

When she said those words, his heart ached so much. They had been through so much in these past 6 months together. And here she stands before him, telling him that she couldn't trust him with this. He was hurt badly by her answer, but did his very best to not let it show.

"What about work? Have u contacted your boss?" he asked.

"Yes, I texted him and my partner. I told them that I had a personal emergency and that I needed 2 weeks off." She answered.

"He won't like it." He stated.

Catherine nodded in agreement and said."I know, but I won't give him much choice. I will be long gone, when he reads the text message."

Vincent was so disappointed. Disappointed in her, but mostly in himself. He guessed that she didn't trust him enough to tell him about her plan. And he could only blame himself for it. Maybe if he opened up more to her, she would trust him more. He had build this wall around him for 10 years, making it so hard to let others in. He desperately wanted to let her in. Completely. But he didn't have the courage to do so. Not yet anyway.

Catherine looked at Vincent and didn't like what she was seeing. He looked so defeated with his head down. Her heart ached, seeing him like this. So she asked.

"Can you please do me a favor?"

He looked up and said." Of course."

"Can you look after my sister while I am gone? I trust only you for that." She said.

A smile graced his handsome face, after hearing that. She **did** trust him with her little sister. That was huge! Even though he was still a bit disappointed about her not completely trusting him, he knew that he should take everything that she was willing to give.

So he looked her deep in her hazel eyes and slowly brought his lips to her left ear. "Of course I will watch over her. Everything for you, Catherine." He whispered.

It happened so fast, but Catherine was still enjoying the aftershocks with her eyes closed. His lips so close to her neck and his warm breath on her skin, turned her knees into jelly. She had trouble standing, so she leaned onto him.

She couldn't form a coherent sentence, so with a weak voice she said."Thanks."

He then immediately walked away and without looking back he said."Good luck and keep in touch."

She let out the breath she had been holding and did her very best to stand on her own two legs.

Vincent walked away from her, but he had a plan. He was going to ask someone he trusted to watch over Catherine's little sister. And what was he going to do during that time? A wicked smile crept on his face. He was planning to follow Catherine without her knowing, so he could protect her if she needed it.

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**Will Catherine be angry, if she finds out that Vincent is secretly following her?**

**Please review?**

**Ruby.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own Beauty and the Beast.**

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**Hallo, my lovely readers. Oh my God! Thank you so much for reading my story, for following it, for putting it up as your fave, for following me, for putting me as one of your fave authors and for the AWESOME reviews! Oh my.**

**This is chapter 3, you guys. I hope you enjoy reading it. **

* * *

**To Ashley**: Thank u for the review! :) I am glad you think my story is getting better.

**To funny dj**: Thank u for the review! We will see in later chaps, how she will react. :)

**To guest **: Thank u for the review! Yes, I love those 2 too! :)

**To BlueberryFriday**: Awww... Thank u so much for the compliment! And for the review! And I will give you more: I hope you like chap 3. :)

* * *

**And PLEASE review! The more reviews, the faster I update! Reviews inspire me to write and they make my day! :)**

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After Vincent walked away from her, Catherine's knees were still very shaky. She cursed at herself for reacting this way. It was just her 'friend' telling her that he was going to watch over Heather. Why did her body react this way? She huffed and walked back to her car. She was breathing hard, because she was angry at herself.

At first, her heart and body listened to her head. But these past few months, they didn't seem to listen to reason anymore. It's like her heart and body were mocking her head and wanted to do as they pleased. With Vincent still on her mind, she drove away and tried to convince herself that listening to her head was the right thing to do.

Being alone on this trip wasn't helping her at all. She should've asked someone to join her. Because now that she was all alone, she couldn't help but only think of him. He was consuming her every thought. He was the one she thought of every single day. With just one word, he could make her heart beat almost 50 miles an hour.

Yes, she had told herself that it wasn't wise to have these feelings for him or act on them. But in the back of her mind she knew that at one point, the walls she had build around herself, will crumble and fall. And who was to blame? Vincent was to blame. Vincent with his throaty, deep voice. That voice of him was so sensual, making her heart melt _**every single time**_. When he says her name, her whole body tingled with joy.

She mentally slapped herself, but it didn't help at all. The feeling of his skin on her fingers: Catherine cannot forget that time she touched his cheeks, when he was in his beast form. Vincent had tied up the man who had murdered the judge and was still down stairs. Catherine and her colleagues were on their way down, so Vincent panicked. He was trapped and couldn't get out; he couldn't budge the bars. At one point he turned into his beast form, trying to attack the murderer. Catherine wanted to prevent that, so she thought hard how she could try to calm him down. Even though she was scared out of her mind, seeing Vincent in his other form, she placed her shaky hands on his face. At that very moment, her heart almost jumped out of her chest.

Her fear was replaced with another feeling. A feeling she couldn't quite describe. Never in her life had she felt fear and at the same time a certain calmness. He calmed down and changed back into his human form, giving her an amazing feeling. 'The beast' had listened to her! She was the reason why the murderer's life was spared by Vincent.

She sighed deeply, thinking about this man who had turned her life upside down. He made her **feel** things; things that were simple before she met him. But the same things felt different, good different, if it involved him.

He made her **do **things; things she never thought of doing. In all her years, working as a detective, she had never lied in a report. She had never given a false statement. But 6 months ago, she did it to protect Vincent. She reported that she killed that man on the bike, who was trying to kill her. When in truth, it was Vincent who had killed the man. And he did it to protect her.

But that was who she had become; doing everything in her power to protect him. And it was the same for him. She knew that he'd die protecting her. It was his mission in life. That's what he told her once. Of course, he was asleep when he had said that. But she heard it; she was a 100 % sure that she hadn't imagined those words.

_***FLASHBACK***_

_**It happened more than 2 months ago. He just had helped her with a case. They had caught the murderer of a double homicide.**_

_**Richard Bell. He was a cold blooded killer, who killed his wife and her lover. Vincent immediately told Catherine that he suspected the husband, but they had no proof. So after Catherine interrogated him, she had to let him go.**_

_**After a thorough investigation, that lasted more than 2 weeks, they finally were able to gather enough evidence to arrest him.**_

_**When she and Tess arrested him, he went all psycho on them. He threatened Catherine, shouting at her, saying that he was going to get out eventually and that she will pay with her life! She wasn't scared of him. In her line of work, she had been threatened countless times before.**_

_**But fate had to be so cruel to her; Bell escaped Police custody.**_

_**When Vincent found out about it, he had asked her if she wanted his protection. She acted stubborn as usual and said no and that she can take care of herself. He wasn't pleased about her answer, so he walked away from her, mumbling.**_

_**"So stubborn." He muttered, making Catherine smile internally.**_

_**She wasn't scared of Bell, but she did know that she had to be very careful.**_

_O O O ~~~~~~~~~~~~ OOO ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OOO ~~~~~~~~~~OOO~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~OOO~~~~~~~~~~~~~OOO~~~~~~~~~~~~~~OOO~~~~~~~~_

_**It was 11 PM, when she left the precinct. She got in her car and drove away. At one point, she had noticed that someone was following her, so she drove as fast as she could home. In record time, she arrived at her apartment building and walked inside. She had the urge to warn Tess, but she told herself not to act so paranoid. From inside, she watched the street and saw that the car drove by.**_

_**Relieved, she walked into her bedroom and decided to take a nice, warm bath. She got out of her clothes and got into her bath. 10 minutes later, while she was enjoying the warm soap suds and the sweet aroma with her eyes closed, she heard something.**_

_**Her eyes immediately flew open! She wrapped a towel around her body and silently walked out of the bathroom. It couldn't be Heather, because she was staying at her boyfriend's for the night. With her heart almost beating out of her chest, she grabbed her gun and went to check it out. The kitchen was clear, so was her living room. She checked Heather's room too and found nothing.**_

_**Sighing deeply, she checked the fire escape. That's when she saw him!**_

_**"Vincent!" she shouted.**_

_**He raised an eyebrow and said." Nice outfit, Catherine."**_

_**It was then, when she realized that she was naked underneath her towel. Her face immediately turned crimson red and within the next minute she disappeared into her bedroom.**_

_***End of FLASHBACK***_

She was taken out of her thoughts, by her phone ringing loudly.

"Damn it! It's Tess." She muttered. Tess was so going to give her a piece of her mind!

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**Tess is probably a bit mad at her. Should she pick up her phone?**

**Please review?**

**Ruby.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own Beauty and the Beast.**

* * *

**Hallo, my lovely readers. Oh my God! Thank you so much for reading my story, for following it, for putting it up as your fave and for the AWESOME reviews! Oh my.**

**This is chapter 4, you guys. I hope you enjoy reading it. :)**

* * *

**To : Ashley, funny dj, BlueberryFriday, RealMcCoy17 and Kath: Thank u so much for the reviews! It really means A LOT to me! :)**

* * *

**And PLEASE review! The more reviews, the faster I update! Reviews inspire me to write and they make my day! :)**

* * *

Vincent didn't wait for Catherine to drive away. He immediately acted; first he packed his back pack and informed JT that he was going on a trip. Of course, JT wasn't happy about it. But Vincent couldn't lose time; he had to go now if he still wanted to follow her. So he said good bye to JT, though he kept telling him that this was a bad idea. He jumped in his car and managed to catch up with Catherine. But he made sure he wasn't too close to her. Vincent didn't want her to know that he was following her. He didn't want to deal with a pissed off Catherine.

**Catherine**. He loved her name; it was really pretty. But the person herself was not pretty, but beautiful. She was a true beauty; inside and out. Vincent liked everything about her: from her gorgeous smile to her shiny, dark hair. From her breathtaking hazel eyes to her pretty, pretty dimples. But what he liked… loved the most about her, was how good she was. She had a big heart and was the kindest, sweetest, toughest and not to forget the most stubborn woman he'd ever met.

Thinking about her, made his heart soar. And when she looked him in the eyes, he felt like drowning in them. But he didn't care; as long as he could look in those amazing, hazel orbs of hers. She saw right through him. He saw himself as a beast, but when she looked at him. Really looked at him; she could make him believe that he wasn't a monster at all. With just one glance, just one touch of her hands, she could give him the feeling that he wasn't an abomination. That she was there for him, even though he wasn't 100 % human anymore.

In the beginning he wanted to keep away from her. He was afraid that the people from Muirfield, were going to try to hurt her so they could get to him. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stay away. He had to see her, even if it was only a glimpse of her. He had to know that she was okay. And he had to talk to her. He had to hear her soft, angelic voice.

Sighing deeply with a smile on his face, he wondered why they met. Was there a reason? Vincent didn't believe in fate, but maybe it brought her to him. Maybe fate decided that they had to meet, so they both would be saving each other. Time after time again.

()

While driving, Vincent remembered something! He put on his ear piece and called Tess. She was going to be pissed, because his call was going to wake her from her beauty sleep. But he knew that Catherine trusted only Tess and him with her little sister.

"Do you know what time it is!" Tess shouted into his ear.

"Sorry, Tess. But Catherine will be gone for the next 2 weeks and so will I. Will you please look after Heather for me?" he asked.

Tess began to ask a lot of questions, but one way or the other he had convinced her to do it.

"You owe me big time, Keller." She growled.

"Yes, I will make it up to you. Promise." he said.

Tess rolled her eyes and mumbled a good bye to him.

"See you in two weeks, Tess."

"Be careful and look after my partner, who is **so** going to be dead meat when she comes back home." She stated.

"I will protect her with my life." He promised.

Tess smiled, knowing that he would die protecting her partner and best friend.

"Later." She said.

"And, Tess. Please, don't tell her that I am following her. She doesn't know." He pleaded.

Tess rolled her eyes and said." I won't. Later." She said and hung up the phone.

A smile crept on Tess' face, thinking about Vincent and Catherine. They truly were an odd 'couple'. Of course they both denied that they had feelings for each other, but Tess knew better. Even a stranger would notice that Cath and Vincent felt more than friendship for each other.

They didn't need to use words to understand each other. They just had to look at one another;that was enough. She was still smiling, when she remembered that she was going to call Catherine.

'She is so dead.' She thought and dialed Catherine's number.

()~

While Tess called Catherine, Vincent thought about the two women. He knew that Tess was going to scold her. He felt really sorry for Catherine at the moment. Oh, she will definitely feel Tess' wrath!

He remembered the first time, he met Tess.

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_***FLASHBACK***_

_**It was late in the evening. He and Catherine were on the rooftop of a building, discussing a case that she was working on. From a far, he heard two cars crashing! He immediately listened harder and heard someone calling for help.**_

_**"Catherine, I think someone needs our help." He said and they both ran to get to the person in need.**_

_**When they arrived at the crash site, Catherine's stomach turned. It was Tess' car!**_

_**"Oh my God. It's my partner!" She cried.**_

_**"Call 911 right away." Vincent ordered.**_

_**With trembling fingers, Catherine called 911 and saw how Vincent was trying to help Tess and the man who was driving the other car. He pulled both people out of their cars and carried them to safety, far away from both cars. The man had a big gash on his head and stomach; he was unconscious. Tess was also injured and was bleeding a lot, but she was still aware. She wasn't able to speak, but she did see how Vincent was helping her.**_

_**He didn't think it was wise to move both of them, but gas was leaking from one car. He didn't want to take the chance. Vincent was afraid that the car would catch fire. And just minutes after, Tess' car really caught fire!**_

_**Catherine had finished the call and watched how Vincent was carefully taking care of the stranger and Tess. He looked up and saw that Catherine had tears in her eyes. Vincent grabbed her hand and squeezed it lightly.**_

_**"Help is on the way. Don't worry." He whispered.**_

_**She helplessly looked back at him and said with a shaky voice." I am terrified, Vincent. I cannot lose her. She's my best friend and like a sister to me."**_

_**"She will be alright." He said weakly, despite the fact that he knew Tess was injured very badly.**_

_**"I wouldn't know what to do, if I lost her." she whispered, sobbing uncontrollably.**_

_**He was just about to wrap her in his arms, when the ambulance came. And the firefighters.**_

_**Then everything went by so fast. Catherine also went to the hospital; Tess was in surgery.**_

_**Tess was a tough one, fighting very hard to stay alive. **_

_** ()~**_

_**After a couple of weeks, Catherine left him a note with JT. She asked him to meet her at the rooftop. The moment he stepped on the stairs, he knew that Catherine wasn't alone! Vincent was just about to leave, when he heard someone shout.**_

_**"You can come out, Keller! I know you are here."**_

_**Vincent shook his head. Then he heard Catherine say.**_

_**"Vincent, I would like you to meet my best friend."**_

_**He wasn't sure that it was a good idea, but he trusted Catherine. Walking towards the two women, he saw them looking at him. Catherine gave him an apologetic look, while Tess observed him from head to toe.**_

_**"Vincent, this is my partner Tess. And Tess, this is Vincent." Catherine said, while smiling dryly.**_

_**They shook each other's hands, making Tess smirk.**_

_**"You forget this part, Cath: The man who saved my life." She said. But this time she had a thankful look in her eyes.**_

_**"Thank you, Vincent." She whispered with a shaky voice. It looked like she was about to cry.**_

_**"You're welcome." He said with a smile on his face.**_

_***End of FLASHBACK***_

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That happened 1 month ago. After he officially met Tess, Catherine explained that she had no choice. Tess had **seen **that he had helped her. The moment she got out of the hospital, Tess asked Catherine about him. She knew exactly who he was; the doctor who was presumed dead. After a lot of nagging and interrogating from Tess, Catherine finally caved and told her about him. **ALL** about him! That he'd been helping her with cases and saving her life time and time again.

Vincent was taken out of his thoughts, by his phone buzzing. It was JT.

"What does he want now?" he growled and picked up his phone.

* * *

**Please review?**

**Ruby.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own Beauty and the Beast.**

* * *

**Hallo, my lovely readers. Oh my God! Thank you so much for reading my story, for following it, for putting it up as your fave, for following me, for putting me as one of your fave authors and for the AWESOME reviews! Oh my.**

**This is chapter 5, you guys. I hope you enjoy reading it. :)**

* * *

**To : Ashley, funny dj, RealMcCoy17 and Kath: Thank u so much for the reviews! It really means A LOT to me! :)**

* * *

******And PLEASE review! The more reviews, the faster I update! Reviews inspire me to write and they make my day! :) REVIEW!**

* * *

******IN THIS FLASHBACK, THE ONE IN CHAP 3 WILL CONTINUE:**

()~~~

The sun was slowly, but surely rising on the horizon.

"What a beautiful sight." Catherine whispered.

When she answered Tess' call, her ear had to endure the punishment that Tess' yelling was producing. Luckily she let her off the hook, after 15 long minutes. To her, it seemed like 1 hour instead of 15 minutes. Tess was a bit angry at her, but Catherine totally expected that she would react that way.

()

In the past hours, Catherine had been driving and driving. At one point, she began to feel the exhaustion. Her body began to ache and slowly she began to feel that slumber wanted to take over her. Driving without someone to talk to and the activities from the day before, had taken its toll on her body. When her arms got very heavy and her eyes were about to close without her accord, Catherine decided to take some rest.

After the next intersection, she saw a Bed and Breakfast and decided to sleep for a couple of hours. Catherine parked her car at the lot and walked into the small building. A very nice, old lady greeted her; she had gray hair and her name was Meg. She had a very kind smile and was super friendly. After Catherine paid for the room, Meg led her to it. The room was gorgeous! The curtains were yellow and the walls were painted green, lighting up the room. The bathroom was also in the colors green and yellow. Catherine immediately took a shower and jumped onto the bed.

"What a comfortable bed." She murmured. She was so exhausted that she fell asleep, the moment her head hit the pillow.

()

It was lunch time, so Meg brought food for Catherine.

"Hallo, my dear. Lunch is served." She said, almost in a whisper.

Catherine opened her eyes slowly and smiled widely.

"Thank you so much, Meg." She answered.

While Catherine enjoyed her lunch, Meg told her stories about a lot of stuff. She really enjoyed chatting with the nice owner of the Bed and Breakfast. After lunch, Catherine decided to get on her way.

"I know that you can't tell me much about yourself, because you don't know me. But let me tell you this: Sometimes you search so hard for something, thinking that you need it to move on. When in reality the thing you really need is right in front of you, but it's so close you don't see it." Meg said.

Those words, made Catherine feel the pain again and tears were pooling in her eyes.

"I heard you calling for your mom in your sleep. I don't know what's going on in your personal life. But I can see in your eyes that you are carrying a heavy burden, my dear. You have people in your life, who care about you. Let them in, share your feelings with them. You'd be surprised how much that can help." Meg pleaded.

Catherine smiled through her tears and gave Meg a hug. She thanked her for the hospitality and the advice and got in her car. With a small smile on her face, Catherine drove away and thought about someone very important. Someone she cared about a lot.

()

**_*FLASHBACK*_**

**_"Nice outfit, Catherine."Vincent said._**

**_It was then, when she realized that she was naked underneath her towel. Her face immediately turned crimson red and within the next minute she disappeared into her bedroom._**

**_As fast as she could, Catherine grabbed some clothes out of her closet. She immediately pulled a pink shirt over her head and a pair of skinny jeans. She applied some pink lip gloss and combed her wet hair. While combing her hair, she saw how her hands were trembling. Vincent! That man almost gave her a heart attack! She closed her eyes and felt her cheeks still burning with embarrassment. Vincent saw her in a towel! She shook her head furiously and wanted to hide under the covers of her bed. But, she knew that she had to face him sooner or later. So with her heart almost beating out of her chest, she walked with bare feet into the living room._**

**_She saw Vincent sitting on her couch._**

**_"Hey." He said, while grinning deviously._**

**_"Hi." Catherine answered._**

**_"I am really sorry that I startled you, but I wanted to make sure that you were okay." He explained._**

**_"It's okay, Vincent. I had a feeling that you'd be worried about me." she answered._**

**_Vincent sighed deeply and smiled at her. There he was: Vincent with his smoldering, hazel eyes and throaty, deep voice. She didn't want the situation to be awkward, so she jumped up and said._**

**_"Have you had dinner, yet? I am famished!"_**

**_Vincent shook his head and said."I already ate, Cath."_**

**_"Well, then it's your loss. I am going to order some Chinese food." She stated with a smile on her face._**

**_Catherine dialed the number and ordered the food, while Vincent turned on the T.V. They were watching some movie, when the delivery guy brought the food. She paid the guy and put the food on the kitchen counter._**

**_"The food smells delicious, Vincent. Are you sure you don't want any?" she teased, while chewing on some noodles._**

**_"No, thanks Cath. I am good." He said._**

**_"Do you want something to drink?" Cath asked._**

**_"A soda, please." He said, while watching the movie._**

**_With a soda in one hand and in the other a bowl of noodles, Catherine walked towards Vincent._**

**_"Here you go, Vincent." She said with a smirk on her face._**

**_He accepted the drink and thanked her, while Catherine took a seat next to him on the couch._**

**_She was eating and watching the movie, but her thoughts were not focused on the food or the T.V. Her thoughts were focused on the man who was sitting next to her. Vincent. For a moment, she watched how he brought the soda can to his lips._**

**_'God! He had such nice lips.' She thought._**

**_She immediately stared back at the T.V. and tried to focus on the movie, but it was too late! Images were forming in her head: naughty images. She imagined how soft those lips would feel on hers and how good they would taste. She mentally slapped herself, but it did not help at all. A shiver went through her spine, thinking about him and his lips._**

**_Vincent saw her shiver and asked._**

**_"Are you cold, Cath?" he asked with a worried tone in his voice._**

**_Catherine shook her head and denied."No, not at all."_**

**_She felt a blush coming up and wanted to prevent him from seeing it, so she stood up. And just as she was about to walk away, she stumbled and almost fell to the ground. But… Vincent saw it coming and caught her in his arms. Catherine closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down. But the feeling of his warm hands on her waist and neck were making her heart speed up. The parts on her body that he was touching, while holding her, were deliciously on fire!_**

**_"Are you alright, Cath?" Vincent asked, trying to look her in the eyes._**

**_She avoided his gaze and immediately got up and said that she was fine. And with an empty bowl in her hand she sped away to the kitchen, trying to catch her breath. Catherine closed her eyes and told herself to calm down, because Vincent could hear her heart beating faster and he could also hear her breathe._**

**_While mentally slapping herself, she thought.' This man will be the end of me! I'm so in deep shit right now. Am I falling for him?'_**

**_()_**

**_The rest of the evening went by without embarrassing moments for Catherine. Vincent might have noticed that she was acting weird around him, but he thankfully didn't ask her about it. Relieved, she sank on her bed and pulled the covers over her head. Vincent. Ruggedly, handsome Vincent was outside, sitting on the fire escape. She asked him to sleep on the couch, but he refused. What if Heather returned? He had asked._**

**_So here she was in her comfy bed, while he was outside sitting in the cold. Suddenly she heard thunder and heard that it was raining! She jumped out of her bed and opened the window to the fire escape._**

**_"Vincent, please come in! It is pouring outside." She pleaded._**

**_He tried to refuse, but she grabbed him and dragged him inside. Luckily his clothes didn't get wet._**

**_He looked at her with his gorgeous, hazel eyes and asked."So, what now?"_**

**_She rolled her eyes and said."Now you are going to sleep on the couch. End of discussion!"_**

**_They were locking eyes; neither one of them wanted to give in._**

**_"Alright, I give up." He growled and took a seat on the couch._**

**_Catherine went to her room to get him a pillow and a blanket. When she returned, she saw that he had taken off his T- shirt. Oh, lord have mercy! He was shirtless, giving her the chance to look at his beautiful, beautiful body. His chest, his six pack. Her breath hitched in her throat, when she realized that he noticed that she was admiring him._**

**_"Are those for me, Catherine?" he asked, while smiling devilishly._**

**_Without answering him, she handed it over to him._**

**_"Good night, Vincent." She said with a shaky voice and disappeared into her room._**

**_"Good night, Catherine." He answered, sounding very amused._**

**_()_**

**_Catherine woke up startled! She heard someone saying her name. Walking out of her room, she realized that it was Vincent. When she arrived at the couch, she saw him sleeping. But he didn't have a peaceful sleep. His blanket laid on the floor and he was frowning. Catherine brought her hand to his face and caressed his cheeks. She wanted to wake him, but was afraid. When she touched the scar on his face, a wonderful shiver went through her whole body. From her fingers to her head and her toes._**

**_He was beautiful... Inside and out, he was a beautiful, beautiful man._**

**_Then she heard those words, coming from his lips. At first she couldn't make them out, because he was mumbling and the sentences were incoherent. But after trying hard to listen, she got a huge lump in her throat and tears were pooling in her eyes. The words were."Catherine, you don't ever have to worry. I would die protecting you. That's my mission in life."_**

_***END of FLASHBACK***_

()

From that moment on, she knew some things: She knew that he'd always be there for her. She knew that he would always come for her. She knew that he would always, **always** save her.

* * *

**Please review?**

**Ruby.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own Beauty and the Beast.**

* * *

**Hallo, my lovely readers. Oh my God! Thank you so much for reading my story, for following it, for putting it up as your fave and for the AWESOME reviews! Oh my.**

**This is chapter 6, you guys. I hope you enjoy reading it. :)**

* * *

**To : Ashley, funny dj, BlueberryFriday and Kath: Thank u so much for the reviews! It really means A LOT to me! :)**

* * *

**And PLEASE review! The MORE reviews, the FASTER I update! Reviews inspire me to write and they make my day! :) REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! **

() ~~~~

JT woke up, feeling like his whole body was screaming from pain. He slowly opened his eyes and saw that he was uncomfortably sitting on a chair, made of steel. His arms were tied behind his back and his legs were also tied to the chair. He tried to move, but it was no use. Even breathing was hard to do.

'Damn it. Did the people from Muirfield kidnap me?' He thought.

JT tried to make out where he could be, but the room had no windows and only one door. The room was big, neat and clean. There were no other colors, but white. White walls, white ceiling and a white floor. He tried to listen to noises, but he didn't hear one single sound. The room was so scary, giving him the feeling that he was in an insane asylum. At one point he tried to scream; cry for help. But it was no use, because he was only able to make muffling sounds. A disgusting cloth was covering his mouth, cutting off his cries. The ache in his muscles was unbearable and at a certain point, fear and pain was all he could feel. To him it felt like the oxygen in the room wasn't enough for him, making him hyperventilate.

JT was at the end of his rope. He assumed that Muirfield was behind all of this. Are they keeping him captive to get to Vincent? He wasn't sure about that. But if it wasn't Muirfield, who else could it be? He had only questions, no answers. It was driving him crazy!

He was scared out of his mind and was panicking. But there was one thing that kept him going; two people he trusted knew that he needed their help.

In front of Catherine, he acted like he didn't like her but in truth he did. He really liked her. A lot. He'd gotten to know her in these past 6 months and found out that she was very trustworthy. She cared for Vincent and would do anything for him. Of course, JT still thought that it was a bad idea for those two to be 'friends'. But he, nor she listened to JT because that pretty, nosy cop had stolen Vincent's heart. Not that one of them would ever admit that 'tiny' fact.

JT sighed deeply, because he wasn't sure what was going to happen to him. But he was one hundred % sure about one thing though: the two people he trusted with his life, were going to get him out.

() ~~~~

At the moment, Vincent was back at his apartment. He looked for JT, but it was too late. He was gone! They took him. It looked like there was a struggle; the apartment was one big mess. Vincent felt anger and knew that the beast wanted to get out. It wanted to find JT's kidnappers and rip them to pieces! It was very hard, but he fought his inner beast and was able to control it.

He sat down on his bed and took deep breaths, letting them out slowly. _**When he picked up his phone, he heard JT yell for help. Without thinking twice, he made a u-turn and drove back to the apartment as fast as he could. **_

While still sitting on his bed, horrible images formed in his head. What if they were hurting him? What if they were torturing him? What if they were planning to kill him? Vincent's stomach was turning. This was all his fault! At the moment, guilt was consuming him from the inside. He should've listened to JT! He should've laid low and should've broken all contact with Catherine. By ignoring JT, he put all three of them in danger! He grabbed a chair and threw it at the wall, while roaring out loud. Of course, that led to a huge hole forming at that particular wall. With heaving chest, he sat back down on his bed, trying to calm down.

After a couple of minutes, Vincent got up and frantically searched for a clue. Maybe they left something behind. Something that could help him find JT. After searching the apartment high and low, he found a broken phone under the stairs. The display was smashed and the rest of the phone was scattered on the floor in pieces. It wasn't JT's phone, so Vincent assumed that it belonged to the kidnapper.

He picked all the pieces up and put it in a plastic bag. There was only one person who could help him now. Catherine. But she was long gone and he didn't want her to be involved in all of this. He made up his mind; he was going to do this on his own.

() ~~~~

Catherine drove away from the Bed and Breakfast, while listening to the radio. She followed the route that she had picked and turned on her phone. After Tess called her, she turned off her phone, because she knew that her boss was the next person to call her.

The very first voice mail she received, made her stomach turn. She immediately parked her car on the curb and tried calling JT.

"Damn it! Pick it up, JT!" she muttered.

But it was no use; he didn't answer his phone. At that moment, she knew that he was in deep trouble. Catherine jumped in her car and drove back. During the drive, she could only think of the words JT had whispered into his phone, while leaving the message for her.

**'Help me, please." He pleaded.**

She didn't know what happened to JT, but she knew that he needed her help. And she wasn't planning on letting him down. She drove as fast as she could back and thought about Vincent. Where was he? Why wasn't he there to protect JT?

She dialed his number and tried calling him, but he didn't answer the phone. After trying more than 10 times, she suddenly thought of something else. Oh my God! What if Muirfield had hurt JT and had captured Vincent?

Tears were already pooling in her eyes, thinking about the worst! All kinds of gut wrenching scenarios were going through her mind. What if they were hurting Vincent? Then she thought about the worst thing. What if he was already … dead? That thought, made her whole body turn cold.

No! She couldn't be too late! With tears running down her face, she stepped on the gas, driving faster than what was allowed. She could not be too late, because ... because, she hadn't told him yet how much she cared about him.

So with determination in her eyes, she sped back home, telling herself that she was not too late. Trying to convince herself that fate couldn't be that cruel.

* * *

**Will Catherine finally tell Vincent how she feels, if she sees him?**

**Please review?**

**Ruby.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own Beauty and the Beast.**

* * *

**Hallo, my lovely readers. Oh my God! Thank you so much for reading my story, for following it, for putting it up as your fave, for following me, for putting me up as one of your fave authors and for the AWESOME reviews! Oh my.**

**This is chapter 7, you guys. I hope you enjoy reading it. :)**

* * *

**To : Ashley, funny dj, BlueberryFriday, guest and Bee: Thank u so much for the reviews! It really means A LOT to me! :)**

* * *

**And PLEASE review! The MORE reviews, the FASTER I update! Reviews inspire me to write and they make my day! :) REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!**

() ~~~~

When Catherine arrived at Vincent's place, it was almost 9 in the evening. The rain was pouring, but she didn't wait and got out of the car. When she stepped into the warehouse, her clothes were soaking wet. She shivered from the cold; her whole body shook. She wasn't sure if it was because of the cold or because of her fear. With her heart almost beating out of her chest, Catherine walked further inside. She carefully pulled her gun out of the holster and called for Vincent and JT. And just as she had expected, nobody answered her. Thunder and lightning accompanied the rain, magnifying her fear. She was beyond terrified. Terrified of what she would find. Terrified that her worst fear was becoming a reality. The place was a huge mess! And she saw a huge hole in the wall.

Realizing that she had no clue what happened to JT or Vincent, it suddenly became hard for her to breathe. What must she do now? She had no idea. Where should she start? She had no idea who took them. Was it Muirfield? Or someone else?

"Damn it!"she muttered, while wiping away her tears.

And just as she was about to grab her phone to call for help, she heard someone coming up the stairs. She regained her composure and was ready to shoot at whoever was coming.

The moment she saw his face, she felt her whole body relax. She released the breath that she had been holding, her heart almost jumping up from joy. Relieved, she put down her gun and walked towards Vincent.

He was speechless for a moment, because he didn't expect to see her. Vincent thought that she was already in another state by now.

"Catherine, what are…" he began, but he was cut off by her wrapping her arms tightly around him.

She closed her eyes and took in his scent. Catherine always loved how he smelled. It was a mixture of his aftershave and him. Just him. Manly Vincent.

Vincent wanted to protest, but she felt so good against him. After a little while, Catherine pulled away and looked him in the eyes. She raised her hand and softly caressed his cheek. Vincent wanted to pull away, but he wasn't able to. He knew what he had to do. He should protect her, even from herself. She mustn't get involved in this mess, because he was afraid that she'd get hurt too. And that was the last thing he wanted. He couldn't bear it, if she got hurt because of him.

JT knew about him and now he was in deep trouble. This was all his fault! He was going to take care of this mess. **Alone.**

"I thought something happened to you. JT left me a voice mail, saying he needed help. What's going on, Vincent?" she asked. Her hand was still on his cheek and her eyes were so pleading.

With pain in his heart, he pulled away and turned his back on her. She whimpered softly, immediately putting her hand in her pocket. The hand, that seconds ago was on his cheek. The same hand that was tingling from the feel of his skin. Without looking at her, he said.

"What are you doing here, Catherine? I thought you had somewhere else to be."

She frowned and shook her head. Catherine didn't understand why he acted this way. She could feel the walls that he was building around himself, but she didn't understand why. Why was he acting so cold towards her?

"Vincent, look at me." she demanded.

He turned around and looked her dead in the eyes.

"You're not needed here, Catherine. You should go." He stated.

Those words, felt like a slap on the face. She didn't get it.

Catherine had a sudden urge to hit him and kick him, so the invisible walls around him would crumble. But instead she shook her head.

"No, Vincent. I am not going anywhere. JT left me a message, begging for help. I am not going to leave him hanging." She said.

Vincent saw the determination in her eyes. Stubborn as she was, he didn't think she was going to listen to him.

" I am his friend. I will help him. So you better leave now, before you break a nail or something." He insulted.

Catherine couldn't believe her ears. Was he serious? She never was a girlie type; he knew that she was tough.

"I am his friend too!" she said.

He laughed sarcastically and said." You? His friend? JT doesn't even like you. How can you say that you are his friend. Don't make me laugh."

At this point, Catherine had lost her patience. She **so** wanted to strangle Vincent.

"He may not see me as his friend, but I do see him as my friend. Nothing you will say or do will change my mind, Vincent. I don't know what's up with you, why you are acting like a huge jerk right now. But get it through your thick head: I am going to find out what happened to him and I am going to help him. Now get out of my way; I have to change before I catch a cold." She said, her voice shaking from anger.

Catherine walked to her car and grabbed her bag. She was outraged! Why was he being such a jerk?! She was so worried about him, thinking he was captured and hurt. And now all she wanted to do was kick his ass! Ugh!

She huffed and walked back inside. When she walked in, she saw Vincent looking out of the window. Catherine cleared her throat, making him turn to look at her.

"I am going to need some privacy to change. Do you mind? Or should I use JT's room?" she said, while raising her eyebrow.

Without saying a word, Vincent walked passed her and out of the room. He went down stairs and sat down on a chair with his eyes closed. He couldn't see her, but he could definitely hear her. He heard every move she made. How she was breathing hard; he assumed she did that because she was angry at him. He heard how her heart was beating at a normal pace. And he heard how she was taking off her wet clothes…

He sighed deeply, trying to focus on something else. But it was no use.

At the moment, all he was focusing on was how she was getting rid of her wet clothes. He heard how she was undoing the buttons of her shirt. How she was taking it off. How she was pulling off her jeans down her legs. He heard it all.

At one point, he heard her pulse speed up. His eyes shut open! Did she know that he was 'spying' on her every move? Was that the reason why her heart was racing?

()~~~~

Catherine had changed into her dry clothes and combed her wet hair. She had tried drying her hair with a towel, but it didn't help much. She applied some pink lip gloss and looked in the mirror. Her cheeks were crimson red. Damn it! She was blushing like a 15 year old!

She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself. Her heart was racing and she knew why. It was racing, because she knew that Vincent could hear her. She cursed internally, while the blush on her face faded slowly. Vincent and his stupid super senses! Ugh!

After focusing very hard, she finally was able to calm down. So with her head up high, she walked downstairs.

" So Vincent, what's the plan?" she asked, knowing that he had something in mind. She knew that he probably had found something that would lead them to JT.

He sighed deeply, knowing that she wasn't going to back down. Whatever he would say or do, she wasn't going to listen. Stubborn, that's how she was. She would follow him anyway. Vincent wished that JT didn't leave her that message. If he hadn't, Catherine wouldn't have returned. She would be in another state by now. She would be **safe.**

And now? Now he didn't have any other choice, but to tell her of his plan. And there was no denying, that his plan had a better chance at succeeding with Catherine's help. Oh, his plan will definitely work with her in the equation...

() ~~~~

At the moment, JT's stomach was growling. He was hungry and beyond thirsty. It was then, when he heard the lock of the door clicking.

Someone is unlocking the door! He thought. He nervously awaited for the door to swing open, his breathing becoming shallow. But before the door opened, they turned off the lights. It was pitch black! He heard someone walk in and felt cold hands covering his eyes with a cloth! He protested, but it was no use. The person was very strong. Then he heard someone switching on the lights again and he tried to see. But he couldn't see a thing.

He was scared out of his mind! What are they going to do to him? He cried and whimpered.

That's when he heard a voice. A voice so soft and smooth.

"You don't have to cry, JT. I am just here to give you something to eat and drink. I know that you are hungry." A woman said.

He heard her grab a chair and sit across from him. He felt that the cloth around his mouth was being removed. His mouth was finally free!

"Would you like to drink first?" she asked.

"Why am I here? Why are you holding me against my will? Let me out of here!" JT shouted. He was so afraid.

"Why don't you calm down, JT. I am here to feed you. If you act childish, I won't give you anything. So stop fighting me or else." She threatened.

JT didn't care about the food at the moment. Yes, he was famished and thirsty. But he was damn well going to put up a fight!

"Untie me! Let me go! Please!" he pleaded.

"Shut up, JT!" She demanded.

But JT did not. He did the opposite and kept asking to be let go. He kept asking why he was here. And asking who they were and what they wanted.

At one point, he heard the woman get up from her chair and spat.

"You won't obey? Then I will leave you here hungry and thirsty!"

Within seconds, a cloth was once more covering his mouth and the lights were out again. Once again, he felt two cold hands over his head. The cloth over his eyes was gone and the lights were on again, the door closed and locked.

It was too much. JT let his head hang and broke down, praying that Vincent or Catherine were on their way to get him out.

* * *

**Please review?**

**Ruby.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own Beauty and the Beast.**

* * *

**Hallo, my lovely readers. Oh my God! Thank you so much for reading my story, for following it, for putting it up as your fave and for the AWESOME reviews! Oh my.**

**This is chapter 8, you guys. I hope you enjoy reading it. :)**

* * *

**To : Ashley, BlueberryFriday, guest and Kath: Thank u so much for the reviews! It really means A LOT to me! :)**

* * *

**And PLEASE review! The MORE reviews, the FASTER I update! Reviews inspire me to write and they make my day! :) REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!**

()~~~~

It was very late, when Catherine walked into her precinct. Out of nervousness, she almost stumbled and fell.

"Damn it!" she muttered.

She was very worried about JT. But Catherine decided to come in so late, because she didn't want to bump into Tess or her boss. They will ask questions and at the moment, she wasn't in the mood to answer any. She wanted to get in, get the info she needed and disappear as fast as possible. She greeted a few officers and held her bag tightly. Very tightly. Because in it, was the broken phone that Vincent found on the floor. He had given it to her, so she could look into the system who it belonged to. And maybe also find out, who the owner had called these past 24 hours. If the phone belonged to JT's kidnapper, then that meant that there was someone who called the shots. Maybe she could find out who had given the order to get JT.

Catherine wasn't that angry at Vincent anymore, about him acting like a jerk. During the drive to the precinct, she realized why he acted that way. He was worried about her safety; he didn't want her to get hurt. It really moved her, that he wanted to protect her. Because that was what he'd been doing for years now. Watching over her, saving her, protecting her. But this was JT, the man who had done so much for Vincent. JT is a true friend. He has given up so much for Vincent. And if she was able to help find JT, then she will surely do everything in her power to help him. Even if she had to lie, sneak in without her boss knowing. She would do it all, because JT was her friend too and because… because JT was Vincent's friend.

Vincent, the man she cared about. The man, who her heart wanted…Oh crap! She has admitted it to herself that her heart desperately ached for him.

She arrived at her desk, so she shook that particular thought off. She mentally slapped herself and whispered.

"Focus, Cath. Focus."

She sat on her chair and turned on her computer. Within 20 minutes, she got the info she needed and got up from her chair. She was just about to walk away, when she heard Tess talking to her boss! Damn it! Why were they here so late?!

Catherine hid in a closet and listened carefully, trying her best to be very quiet. Her fingers were gripping her bag tightly, while her heart hammered against her ribcage. She really didn't want to get caught right now. They were talking about her, Tess defending her, of course.

Catherine stayed in the closet and thought about Vincent. He was nearby, maybe at one of the roof tops. She closed her eyes and did her best to let her heart beat at a normal pace, because she didn't want Vincent to barge into the precinct. After a couple of minutes, her heartbeat was normal. Relieved, she let out a deep breath and waited for them to leave.

()~~~~

Vincent was outside on one of the rooftops and concentrated on Catherine's heartbeat. At one point, it was racing, making him worry about her. Was she about to get caught? He impatiently waited for a sign and listened carefully. But luckily after a little while, her heart rate was normal again. While still waiting impatiently for her, he grabbed the part of his shirt, where she had put her hand on. He inhaled into the fabric and Catherine was all his senses were registering. Her scent was overwhelming. And very unique of course. She smelled of roses and strawberries. **Vincent closed his eyes and thought back, when she placed her hand on his shoulder. Before going into the precinct, she looked deep into his eyes and whispered.**

**"Don't worry, Vincent. We will get him back. Promise."**

**He wanted to ask how she could promise something like that, but her eyes were so convincing. And her scent was driving him crazy. And the touch of her hand on his shoulder, even with the fabric of his shirt in between, had set his skin deliciously on fire!**

Vincent sighed deeply; he was so worried about JT and that made him very emotional. But he told himself to focus and try to handle this thing objectively, so he could help JT with a clear mind and as best as he could.

Of course, he couldn't help the guilt from surfacing again and again. But he really couldn't help it, this was all his fault.

()~~~~

Catherine was still in the closet and heard a phone ring. The ringtone made her think of that evening.

_***FLASHBACK***_

_**It was 3 days before the wedding day of one of her co-workers. She looked at the clock and saw that it was almost 10 in the evening. She had everything ready for that big day. Walking out of her bathroom, she had on the dress she was planning to wear. She looked in the mirror and was startled by a knock on her window. Vincent! With bare feet, she opened the window for him. He jumped inside and looked at her from head to toe. He smirked and said.**_

_**"Looking good, Cath."**_

_**"Oh come on, you are so exaggerating." She said with flushed cheeks.**_

_**He shook his head and said." No I am not. It's true. I bet all the men at the wedding will want to dance with you."**_

_**He said those words with such and intensity, making her heart race. She mentally slapped herself, because she knew that he could hear it.**_

_**"So, if you were one of those men, would you want to dance with me too?" she asked.**_

_**"Of course, without a doubt. I would be the first one to ask you for a dance." He replied, giving her one of his looks. The one that said: I am not joking.**_

_**She nervously began to giggle and asked."So, are you a good dancer, Vincent Keller?"**_

_**He raised his eyebrow and extended his hand." Can I have this dance, miss Catherine Chandler?"**_

_**She smiled and grabbed his hand. With his hands on her waist they began to move slowly, him leading her. Locking eyes with each other, they danced without music.**_

_**"There's no music." She said softly, still gazing into his gorgeous, hazel eyes.**_

_**"Okay, I will make music then." He replied.**_

_**It was then, when he began to sing softly. It was out of tune, but … he was singing… for her. His gruff voice sent shivers down her spine. It was crazy! She felt shivers and at the same time, her whole body felt like it was on fire! She recognized the song; it was Sway by The Perishers.**_

_**Her hands were locked around the back of his neck and his hands felt… really 'locked' on her waist. Like he never wanted to let her go. She almost forgot to breathe with all the emotions that were going through her, the feel of his fingers almost gripping on her soft flesh. At the moment, everything about Vincent was making her dizzy. Deliciously dizzy that is…**_

_**She couldn't look him in the eyes anymore, it became too much for her to take. Too overwhelming. She was afraid that if she kept her eyes locked on his, that she wouldn't be able to hold herself back. Their lips were so close to each other, closer than ever before. She was afraid that she'd lose it and just closed the little gap between them. She was afraid to feel his lips on hers and afraid to find out what they taste like. She was terrified, because she knew that if she would begin, she wouldn't be able to stop. Even if she wanted to.**_

_**So… she closed her eyes and leaned her head on his warm chest, listening to his gruff voice and slowly dancing with this amazing, wonderful man.**_

_**Her head was close to his heart, so she was able to hear his heart beat. It was beating on a steady pace: Dadum, dadum, dadum. And she not only heard him sing, but she also felt the vibration, making her heart melt.**_

_***END OF FLASHBACK***_

Catherine was taken out of her 'heavenly' thoughts, by a door slamming close. Tess and her boss had left! She waited a few minutes and then decided to get out of the closet. With a smile on her face she walked out, still thinking about that evening when she danced with Vincent.

* * *

**Please review?**

**Ruby.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I do not own Beauty and the Beast.**

* * *

**Hallo, my lovely readers. Oh my God! Thank you so much for reading my story, for following it, for putting it up as your fave and for the AWESOME reviews! Oh my.**

**This is chapter 9, you guys. I hope you enjoy reading it. :)**

* * *

**To : Ashley, funnydj, guest 1, guest 2 and Kath: Thank u so much for the reviews! It really means A LOT to me! :)**

* * *

**And PLEASE review! The MORE reviews, the FASTER I update! Reviews inspire me to write and they make my day! :)**

()

The moment she drove away from the precinct, Catherine let out the breath that she had been holding. Knowing that Vincent was following her, made her feel at ease. He always seem to make her feel safe. But at the moment, she was doubting if she could trust herself alone with him. That evening when he sang for her, it took all of her control not to lose herself in him. And now that they were on a quest to find JT, he was going to be with her 24/7. How will she hold it together? How will she get through it? He was so close… and yet so far.

When she arrived at the warehouse, she had to collect her thoughts and force her heart to beat at a normal pace. Walking into Vincent's place, she had the urge to run away from him. But knowing that JT needed her, kept her from doing so.

"So, were you able to get some info from the broken phone?" Vincent asked.

He was looking at the bag in her hand, but his senses were focusing on the rest of her. He had noticed that she had trouble controlling the pounding of her heart. He also noticed that she was a bit nervous. She seemed calm, but it was from the outside. Something told him that she was fighting an internal battle with herself. But he had no idea what it was about.

Catherine sighed deeply and took a seat on a chair, trying her best to focus on JT's situation.

"Yes, Vincent. I was able to find out who the phone was registered to. And also that he called one person numerous times. There was just one number, but for some reason I was denied access to that info." She answered.

"Who does the phone belong to?" he asked impatiently.

"A man named Bill Connor." She answered.

"What did you find out about him?" he asked.

"Just his address." She responded.

"That's good right? We can work with that?" he asked with a curious tone in his voice.

"Yes." She answered.

He grabbed a chair and took a seat in front of her, wanting to ask her more about the owner of the phone. But it was then, when he saw that her forehead and hair had dust on them.

Without warning her, he brought his hand to her hair and tried to wipe the dust away.

"Where have you been? There's dust on your face and hair." He said, while trying to wipe away the dust from her forehead.

He sat so close to her, making it hard for her to answer him. She could smell his cologne. And the feel of his fingers, brushing the skin of her face, made her whole body tingle.

He knew that only her forehead had dust, but he acted like her whole face was covered in it. His fingers went from her forehead to her nose and ended up on her chin.

"I was hiding from my boss and Tess." She answered, her voice shaky.

She wanted to laugh at herself, because her voice sounded so strange in her ears. But then she felt his fingers on her cheek. The moment that happened, her eyes closed without her accord. Frowning, she enjoyed how his fingers brushed one cheek then the other.

"So I hid in a closet." She explained, her eyes still closed.

Vincent heard that her heart began to beat wildly again. He wanted to know why, but he was afraid that she would answer him truthfully. He wasn't sure, if he wanted to know.

"There. You are dust free once again." he said.

Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and ended up gazing into his.

He was completely lost in her eyes. He felt like her gorgeous, hazel eyes were boring into his, allowing her to look into his soul. It made him feel very excited and exposed. She was the only woman who could make him feel like this. He had dated others before, but none of them saw 'him'. The real him.

Catherine felt overwhelmed by his presence and closeness. It made her think of that evening.

_***FLASHBACK***_

_**She had a very eventful day at work, making her neck and shoulders feel stiff and painful. While getting out of the bathtub, she could only feel the pain more and more. Catherine changed into her pajamas and walked into the kitchen. She put water in the water cooker to make tea, while trying to dry her hair with a towel. Suddenly she heard a tap on her window. Vincent!**_

_**"You can come in, Vincent." she shouted.**_

_**He walked in, while she grabbed another cup for him.**_

_**"Do you want some tea?" she asked.**_

_**"Hi Catherine. Yes, I would appreciate that very much." He said with a smile on his face.**_

_**She turned around to look at him and her heart almost melted by the sight of him. He was smiling his million dollar smile of his. Tess loved to tease her, saying that Vincent had a million dollar smile. And Tess kept asking her, WHEN she was going to do some things to tall, dark and handsome.**_

_**"What's so funny?" he asked.**_

_**"Huh? What do you mean?" she asked.**_

_**"You had a smiley, dreamy look on your face just now. Like you were thinking of something delicious." He stated.**_

_**"What? Really? Delicious?" she asked, her cheeks turning crimson red from embarrassment.**_

_**"Uhuh." He said, while nodding.**_

_**She immediately changed the topic by saying."Vincent, my neck and shoulders are very stiff and painful. Could you massage the pain away?"**_

_**He nodded, so she took a seat on a chair. Standing behind her, he began massaging her shoulders. The moment she felt his hands on her skin, she automatically closed her eyes.**_

_**God, he had 'magic' hands… Sighing deeply, she enjoyed his touch and felt her muscles relax. The pain began to ebb away and at one point, she felt a shiver go through her spine.**_

_**"Does that feel good?" he asked with his throaty, deep voice.**_

_**She couldn't form a coherent sentence at this point, so she just nodded in agreement. Did he know that his touch was making her feel good and GOOD GOOD? She wondered. Right after thinking that, she mentally slapped herself. This was not a good idea. She should stop him from massaging her. But it felt so good. Dang!**_

_**"Your sister is home." He said, before jumping out of the window and disappeared into the night.**_

_**()**_

_**When Heather walked in, she still had a dreamy look on her face.**_

_**"Catherine. What happened?" she asked concerned.**_

_**"Huh? Nothing!" she denied and walked to the kitchen to make tea for herself and Heather.**_

_**Vincent wasn't able to drink his tea. Damn.**_

_***END of FLASHBACK***_

Catherine was taken out of her thoughts by Vincent.

"When are we going to pay Mr. Connor a visit?" he asked.

Shaking her head, she answered." No, I will be doing that. Not we."

"What do you mean? I can come along with you. He could be dangerous, Catherine." He said.

"I know that, that's why I have a gun and a badge." She said.

"Who said that he was the kind to be scared of a little gun and badge? I will go with you!" he demanded.

"No, it is not safe for you. What if you accidentally expose yourself, Vincent? You are supposed to be in hiding, remember?" she said with a worried tone in her voice.

He looked her deep in the eyes and placed his hand on hers." I know the risks, Catherine. And I know you are worried about me being exposed, but JT is my friend. I have to do this." He said.

Sighing deeply, Catherine finally agreed."Okay. But you have to promise me that you are going to do as I say."

He nodded and said." I promise.

* * *

**Please review?**

**Ruby.**


	10. Chapter 10

**I do not own Beauty and the Beast.**

* * *

**Hallo, my lovely readers. Oh my God! Thank you so much for reading my story, for following it, for putting it up as your fave and for the AWESOME reviews! Oh my.**

**This is chapter 10, you guys. I hope you enjoy reading it. :)**

* * *

**To : Ashley, funny dj, guest and Bee: Thank u so much for the reviews! It really means A LOT to me! :)**

* * *

**And PLEASE review! The MORE reviews, the FASTER I update! Reviews inspire me to write and they make my day! :)**

**~~ () ~~**

Catherine woke up, a wide smile gracing her face. Opening her eyes, she felt that the bed she was sleeping on was a strange one. The sheets didn't feel like hers and the pillow smelled like someone else. It smelled like… Vincent?!

She immediately sat up and looked around the room. Oh, yes. She had spent the night at Vincent's! Her cheeks turned red, because she had been smelling his pillow. No, ...**deeply inhaling** was the correct term. And she liked it… a lot! Lying in his bed, made her feel like she was surrounded by him. It made her whole body tingle deliciously. The evening before, he told her that she could sleep on his bed. He was going to crash on JT's couch. She protested, because she didn't want to be a burden. But he insisted, so... she gave in.

Catherine went back under the covers, but heard him coming up the stairs. She immediately got up and began making his bed. She had her back to him and tried to act normal. Why did she act like a 15 year old girl who was having a crush?!

"Morning, Cat." She heard him say.

She turned around and smiled."Morning, Vincent." She replied, smiling nervously.

"I brought you breakfast." He said.

"Thank you. But I hope you don't mind if I take a shower first?" She responded.

He nodded and took a bite of his donut.

()

After Catherine had showered and had eaten her breakfast, she took a seat in her car. Vincent sat in the back seat and stayed as low as possible.

They weren't talking at the moment, because nobody must know that he was with her. During the drive, her mind automatically drifted to that morning.

_**She was taking a shower, but felt a bit uncomfortable, knowing that he could hear every move she made. She tried to be as quiet as possible, but she knew that he still could hear her. And just as she was about to ask him to give her some privacy, she heard him say:"I will be waiting outside, Cat."**_

_**Relieved, she sighed deeply and went on with her shower. With him around, she felt really safe but she needed her space at times.**_

They arrived at the address, so she said." We are here, Vincent."

Vincent's super senses were immediately on full alert. "I am ready." He stated.

Catherine stepped out of her car and saw an abandoned building. "Whoa. He so does **not** live here." She stated.

She looked at Vincent and said."Okay, I will go first. If I don't come out in 10 minutes, you can come after me."

Vincent saw her walking away. She strutted with confidence; she was a real experienced cop. Seeing her move like that, made him admire her even more. Of course he was worried about her, but he promised to do as she told him. His super senses were still on full alert, now that she was going into a strange building. He didn't know what dangers laid ahead of her. All he could do at the moment was to be ready.

Catherine walked into the building and saw that it was completely empty. Apart from some old furniture, there was practically nothing there. She went from room to room…At the end of the hall, she smelled something. She recognized the smell… it was blood. Dried blood, to be exact.

Being an experienced cop, has made her used to seeing dead bodies. Of course at night, she sometimes couldn't sleep, thinking about the one that had been murdered. It made her cringe, knowing that there were evil people in the world who murdered others. That's why, time after time she did her very best, to solve the murder cases. So the people, who were left behind, could get some kind of **closure**. Catherine also did her very best to not get too personal on a case, but sometimes it was hard for her. Because she knew what it felt like to lose someone close to her heart.

()

Vincent was anxiously waiting in the car. Okay, just one more minute and he could go inside. He smelled blood, dried blood to be exact. He assumed that there was a dead body in the building, but he didn't want to disobey Catherine. So he waited. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on her and on the rest. Nobody was there besides her. Her heart was beating steadily and her breathing was normal too.

Knowing that she was not under any stress, had made him less worried.

But suddenly he noticed that she was not feeling well. He immediately stormed into the building, feeling that the Beast wanted to get out!

()

The moment she opened the last room of the hall, her stomach turned. The smell was unbearable. A man was lying on the floor with his face downwards. And just as she was about to move him to see his face, Vincent appeared.

"Cat. What's wrong?" he asked, his chest heaving.

In a blink, he was inside with her in the room. Luckily the Beast calmed down, after Vincent saw that she was fine.

"I found a body. From the look and smell of it, he has been lying here for a couple of days." She responded.

Sitting on her hunches, she moved the body with her hand, turning him around. The moment she saw his face, she wanted to throw up. His face was completely bashed in. On the floor, they both saw a crowbar, covered with blood.

"Oh, God! You can barely see his face; I assume that they hit his face with that crowbar." She managed to say.

The sight of the body was awful; there was blood everywhere. It suddenly became too much for her. Grabbing Vincent by the arm, she pulled herself up.

"I have to call it in." she said and walked away.

Vincent went after her and grabbed her hand lightly."Cat, wait one moment. What about JT? How are we going to find him now? Bill Connor is dead; we cannot ask him anything. Give me some time, let me look around first. And then after, you can call it in." he asked with pleading eyes.

"Okay, 10 minutes tops. I will help you." She replied and went to help him search the place.

"I will go up stairs. Will you investigate the other way?" he asked.

She nodded, so they searched the place separately. They both searched the place high and low, but didn't find one significant thing.

"Damn it!" Vincent roared.

His breathing became ragged and his chest heaved uncontrollably. He was at the end of his rope. Guilt was eating him up from the inside out. He broke down and stayed on the floor, but suddenly stormed down stairs. Catherine was in danger! She was fighting someone…

Within minutes, he was in the same room as her. He saw her gasping for air, a large man was wrapping his hands around her neck. Vincent couldn't hold back anymore, within seconds the Beast appeared and grabbed the man. With tears in her eyes she sank to the floor. Catherine watched how the Beast was attacking his assailant. He tried fighting, but the man had no chance at all.

Catherine was terrified, but still had the courage to stand up.

"Vincent, stop it. How will we get to JT if you kill him?" she asked, her voice trembling.

But Vincent was gone; the Beast took over and didn't listen to her! His only thought was._' **He was hurting Catherine! He was hurting my Catherine! For that, he must pay with his life.'**_

And he did; not long after, the Beast killed the man. When he realized that he was dead, the Beast changed back. Vincent's chest was heaving and looked at her.

"Catherine, are you alright?" he asked, walking towards her.

She nodded and said."I am fine."

He placed one hand on her chin and the other on her neck, examining her. The skin on her neck was a little bruised. He gently cupped her face with both his hands and locked eyes with her.

"I am so sorry that I left you alone." He said with pleading eyes.

"I am fine, really. But how are we going to help JT now? You have killed him." She whispered.

Vincent swallowed hard and sighed deeply."I am sorry that I didn't listen, but I couldn't control myself." He responded.

They were still looking each other in the eyes, when a phone rang.

He looked at her, but she said. "It's not mine."

"It's his!" they said in unison.

They frantically began to search for the phone. Vincent found it and pulled it out of the dead man's jacket. He put it on speaker phone, his fingers shaking.

Sighing deeply, he answered." Hallo."

With anticipation, Catherine waited. Her heart was hammering against her ribcage at the moment. 'Who could it be?' She thought.

On the other line, a man said. "So, I take it that you are not my employee. Your name is Vincent, right? JT's long time friend?"

* * *

**Please review?**

**Ruby.**

**:)**


	11. Chapter 11

**I do not own Beauty and the Beast.**

* * *

**Hallo, my lovely readers. Oh my God! Thank you so much for reading my story, for following it, for putting it up as your fave and for the AWESOME reviews! Oh my.**

**This is chapter 11, you guys. I hope you enjoy reading it. :)**

* * *

**Ashley, Tayla, Avalon West and The looster: Thank u so much for the reviews! It really means A LOT to me! :)**

**And PLEASE REVIEW! More reviews, means that there surely will be a chapter 12. :)**

* * *

**On the other line, a man said. "So, I take it that you are not my employee. Your name is Vincent, right? JT's long time friend?"**

"Who are you? What do you want with JT? Let him go!" Vincent demanded.

At first he was shaking, because he was scared to death to hear that JT was hurt. But that changed instantly, when he heard the man on the other side of the line, laugh out loud.

Instead of answering Vincent, he laughed at him! Vincent felt his anger rise again, making the Beast want to get out. He was squeezing the phone, almost breaking it.

But at that moment, Catherine wanted to prevent that from happening and she also saw that his face was about to change. She stood in front of him and cupped his cheek with one hand. He looked at her and saw her shaking her head. In her eyes, he saw a person… a woman pleading for him to calm down. Vincent struggled with the Beast, but luckily he was able to listen to her this time.

His face changed back to normal and he asked again."Who are you?"

This time the man decided to answer him." I am someone you don't want to get involved with. I assume that you are searching for your friend? Let me give you a piece of advice. Let it go. If you stop looking for JT, we won't harm you."

Vincent was shaking again from anger. His voice sounded like he wanted to rip things into pieces.

"I can't let this go. JT is harmless! What could you possibly want with him? Are you sure that you have the right person?"

"Okay, now you are really getting on my nerves. But let me tell you something. You think that you know JT, but you don't. He has done some things in his past, things that are too bad to mention. He's not, who you think he is." He responded.

"What?! JT?! He couldn't even hurt a fly!" Vincent replied.

At this point, the man got really, really pissed."I am warning you. Let it go." He snapped.

"What if I don't?!" Vincent growled.

"If you don't let it go, we will… You don't want that dark haired, pretty thing to get hurt, do you?" he threatened, then hung up the phone.

Vincent immediately locked eyes with Catherine. She was shocked, wondering how the man knew about her. At that moment, he couldn't hold back anymore! Knowing that someone was out there who didn't think twice about hurting Catherine, made him lose control completely.

He crushed the phone with his bare hands and within seconds, Catherine saw him change… into the Beast…

She looked at him and tried to calm him down with her eyes, but it was no use. Vincent was gone…

The beast was growling and grabbed an old, heavy table and threw it in the air. It ended up on the other side of the building, making a lot of noise. '**No one touches my Catherine… No one!'** he thought.

"Vincent, please calm down. Please." She pleaded, but the Beast turned around and stormed out of the abandoned building.

"Vincent, wait! Vincent!" she shouted, but he was gone.

Sighing deeply, she called in about the bodies. But she didn't use her real name; she called anonymous.

()

Wondering where he could be, Catherine drove away from the crime scene. For some reason, she ended up at the warehouse. Hoping that he was there, she got out of her car. Walking towards the door, she saw that it was torn open. JT's room was a mess!

Catherine shook her head, not understanding what Vincent was doing. When she saw that he'd changed back into his normal form again, she let out a deep breath. Relieved, but still worried about him, she walked closer to him.

He was frantically going through JT's stuff. She didn't know what he was looking for, so she asked.

"Vincent, what are you doing? Why are you going through JT's private stuff?"

Without looking at her, he answered." I don't know yet, I'll know when I see it."

Shaking her head, she asked." Can I help?"

"No." he replied, still with his back towards her and frantically searching for some kind of clue.

Catherine was hurt a little that he was acting like a jerk again. But it was like he could feel it.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you." He said, looking at her.

She didn't answer him, so he continued."I am looking for something. Maybe JT has hidden something here that will explain why he is being held captive."

Catherine swallowed and asked." So, you believe the lies that man told you?! He was lying! JT cannot be the man he described! JT is harmless!"

"I don't know what to think anymore, Cat. I just wanna find him, bring him to safety. Maybe, just maybe… I will find something here." He replied.

Catherine took a seat and couldn't believe that Vincent would think JT was capable of doing bad things. Vincent turned around and stood in front of her, looking her in the eyes.

"Catherine, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have… " he sighed deeply and continued." I shouldn't have let you get involved. Please, let me do this… alone. I don't want you to get hurt."

She got angry and stood in front of him, her face so close to his." No! I am not letting you do this alone. You need me, Vincent. I can help." she said, almost shouting.

She was angry. Vincent saw it in her face, heard it in her voice, saw how she was standing in front of him with determination and he saw it in her eyes. He wished that he could change her mind, but she was so stubborn. He wouldn't know what to do, if she got hurt. Didn't she understand that? Didn't she know that she had become '**everything'** to him? That she'd become his **whole world**?

He cared for her so much, it almost hurt physically. Couldn't she see that?

"Please, Catherine. We don't know who we are dealing with. They could be very dangerous." He begged.

She shook her head furiously, still standing close to him. Catherine let it out, her voice trembling. "So, you can worry about me? But what about me? Huh? You really expect me to let you do this alone? How do you think **I** feel, not knowing what could happen to you if you went alone? Huh? What if I never see you again?" she paused, her eyes welling up. " When I am not with you… Don't you know how … how worried I am about you? Muirfield and everything else…" her voice trailing off.

He looked her in the eyes and said." I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if you got hurt, Catherine. Don't you get that?"

"I feel the same way. Don't you get that?" she retorted, her voice shaking from anger and fear.

They were gazing into each other's eyes, like there was no tomorrow. **He had the sudden urge to bring his hand towards her face, to caress her soft cheek with his hand. But he wanted to take his time and caress it slowly, very slowly to make the feeling last longer. He imagined that if he did, the moment his hand would touch her skin, she would automatically shut her eyes tightly.**

She was looking into his eyes, trying to convince him that she was not backing down. She was not going to leave him at the mercy of kidnappers! No!

Still locking eyes, they both almost forgot to breathe. It was like time stood still and you can almost hear a pin drop. It was that quiet.

He didn't know what came over him. It was like the Beast was spurring him on.' **Do it, make a move. You hear her heart rate increase and you see in her eyes that she feels the same way. Do it… make a move.'**

But it was like he was frozen, only able to look into her gorgeous, hazel eyes.

Catherine was suddenly overwhelmed by him, by his closeness and the way he was looking in her eyes. Her heart was beating uncontrollably, like it wanted to come out of her chest. It was too much, making her knees gave out. Avoiding his gaze, she held onto him, one hand on his chest and the other on his upper arm. Her head rested on his chest and she could hear him breathing, hear his heart...

He was smelling her hair and closed his eyes, enjoying her warm body leaning on him. A whirlwind of emotions were running through him. His mind clouded and his hands balled into fists, her scent driving him crazy, increasing his adrenaline, his heart beating wildly, feeling her heartbeat go faster.

Then she looked up at him, their faces so close, their lips inches apart. They were lost in the moment and she closed the little gap between them…

And just as her lips were about to collide with his… Vincent pulled away.

* * *

**Please review?**

**Ruby.**

**:)**


	12. Chapter 12

**I do not own Beauty and the Beast.**

* * *

**Hallo, my lovely readers. Oh my God! Thank you so much for reading my story, for following it, for putting it up as your fave and for the AWESOME reviews! Oh my.**

**This is chapter 12, you guys. I hope you enjoy reading it. :)**

* * *

**Ashley, the looster, guest 1, guest 2 and Angel: Thank u so much for the reviews! It really means A LOT to me! :)**

**And PLEASE REVIEW! More reviews, means that there surely will be a chapter 13. :)**

* * *

_**And just as her lips were about to collide with his… Vincent pulled away.**_

He was still very close to her, their bodies still radiating warmth to one another. Catherine was still holding on to him, but what she saw in his eyes, made her want to cry. She couldn't help it; at that moment she wanted to feel his lips on hers. But maybe he didn't want what she wanted? She clearly saw hesitation in his eyes and something else. Something she couldn't quite describe.

The moment he pulled away from the almost-kiss, Vincent wanted to kick himself. What was he thinking?! He wanted so badly to feel her lips on his, but he was afraid. Afraid to lose control. What if he changed into the Beast, the second he kissed her? He couldn't take that chance… Not with her...

Catherine finally was able to stand on her own legs, so she took a few steps back and avoided his gaze. It hurt her so much that he rejected her; that's what it felt like.

To Vincent, it suddenly felt so cold compared to when she was still leaning on him. He immediately missed her warmth and had a sudden need to feel her in his arms.

"Catherine, I …" he began, but was interrupted by a phone ringing loudly.

"I have to take this call. It's Heather." She explained, still hurt by his action.

()

After a couple of minutes, she finished the call and nervously turned around. Vincent was looking at her.

"Is there something wrong with her?" he asked with a worried tone in his voice.

"No, she's alright. She just had a lot of questions for me. Where I am? What I'm doing? You know, the usual." she responded.

"Sorry, Catherine. I know that I promised you to look after her, but I asked a very trustworthy person to do it instead." He apologized.

"Tess?" she asked.

He nodded in agreement, so she said."No, it's okay. The important thing now is, that uhum… that we should find JT. Fast."

He nodded again, but suddenly Vincent remembered something. With haste, he walked towards JT's bed, with Catherine right behind him. Vincent was pushing the bed on the other side and pulled a key out of a small box. If you didn't know about it, you would never find it. It was hidden that well.

"Ahah! I knew that I would find something in here! This will help us find JT." He said with a smile, locking eyes with her.

She also looked at him and smiled."Okay… but what does it open? How do you know about the key?"

Vincent shook his head and whispered." At the time, I thought that JT was joking around. We were both drunk, we had been drinking a lot that night. He said something to me. I can't remember his exact words, but he said something about: if he one day got into trouble, that I should look for a key he had hidden under his bed. By opening that particular lock, all the secrets he had been keeping from me, will be revealed."

He got a huge lump in his throat and took a seat on the bed. It became all too much for him.

Seeing Vincent hurt like this, made Catherine's heart ache. He looked so defeated…

She carefully sat next to him and asked."So, do you think that the man who has JT, was telling the truth? That JT was keeping things from you?"

Vincent shook his head."I don't know. I really don't. At the time, I really thought that he was just very drunk and making something up. I didn't realize that he really had a locker at a train station. " he answered.

JT's situation was really eating Vincent up from the inside out. She saw it in his eyes and in the way he was staring at one spot. Catherine still felt rejected and hurt by Vincent, but she decided to let it go. For now. At the moment, JT's situation was more important.

"Do you know which train station?" Catherine asked, while placing her hand near his upper arm. She had the urge to place her hand on his cheek, but she was afraid how he'd react. She could not take rejection twice in one day, from the man she was in love with…

What?! In love with?! What?! She shook her head, trying to understand what she just realized…

"No, but I assume it has to be the closest one. I think." He whispered.

"So, which train station do you want to try first? Penn station? Or …" she asked, trying to make eye contact with him. But he was still staring forward.

"Yes, Penn station." He responded, without looking at her.

Catherine couldn't take it anymore. So she placed her hand on his cheek and slowly turned his face, so he would look at her. And when they finally locked eyes, her heart broke.

"Vincent. Please. Try to keep it together. JT needs you. You are not alone in this, okay? I am here too." She whispered, while cupping his face softly with both hands.

The second they locked eyes, Vincent felt like a huge jerk and coward. She was so amazing! She still hasn't run and she had told him not long ago, that she felt the same way. That she was also worried about him, whenever they were apart. Catherine never asked him for anything. She probably thought, that he had rejected her by not kissing her. He felt very guilty about it, but he wasn't sure what would've happened if he _**did**_ kiss her. He cared too much about her; he would never risk her safety.

Not even for a kiss that he desperately wanted, needed, dreamed about, longed for, craved for…

When he was lying in bed at night, he imagined what it must feel like to feel her lips on his. And now, she was so close, gazing into his eyes. And all he could do was sit and do nothing.

He was trying to ignore the Beast, but he wasn't able to.

'_**You are the biggest coward, Vincent Keller. I told you to make a move and what do you do? You reject the woman you're in love with!'**_ the Beast said angrily.

"Okay, Cat. Let's try Penn Station first, okay?" he said, trying his best not to close his eyes. Her warm hands on his cheeks felt so good.

She smiled and whispered."Let's go."

()

Almost an hour later, she arrived at Penn Station and walked inside. Waiting for Vincent, she nervously took a seat on a bench. He decided to take the route to the train station through the tunnels. At the station there were a lot of people and cameras; he didn't want any attention.

After sitting 15 minutes, he finally texted her. She got up and walked where the lockers were. Sighing deeply, she impatiently waited for him at 'the locker'. She looked around, wondering if she was being followed. Her gut was telling her that she had to be on full alert.

Leaning on the locker, she saw him walking towards her. He was wearing his cap, covering his face a bit. His street clothes fit him perfectly with that coat. Vincent looked so attractive, no wonder she was crazy about him.

"So, here goes." He said and pulled the key out of his pocket.

He gave it to her and nervously waited to hear the click, with his eyes closed. And when he _**did** _hear the click, his heart jumped up. The locker was open! Opening his eyes, he saw Catherine waiting for his permission. He nodded, so she opened it.

And when the locker was finally open… Catherine and Vincent's mouths fell open, their eyes almost falling out of their sockets…

Never in a million years, did they expect to see what they were seeing at that particular moment…

* * *

**Please review?**

**Ruby.**

**:)**


	13. Chapter 13

**I do not own Beauty and the Beast.**

* * *

**Hallo, my lovely readers. Oh my God! Thank you so much for reading my story, for following it, for putting it up as your fave and for the AWESOME reviews!**

**This is chapter 13, you guys. I hope you enjoy reading it. :)**

* * *

**Thank u so much for the reviews, you all!**

**And PLEASE REVIEW! More reviews, means that there surely will be a chapter 14. :)**

* * *

_**Never in a million years, did they expect to see what they were seeing at that particular moment…**_

At the moment, Vincent had trouble controlling himself. Seeing what was inside the locker, made the Beast want to come out! Everything he thought he knew about his friend… was it all a lie?! Catherine on the other hand sank to the floor and sat motionless with her back against the next locker. She wanted to throw up; it was that bad… Her tears came rolling down her cheeks…

At one point, she heard Vincent growl, so she immediately got on her feet and held on to Vincent.

"We have to get out of here." She said, while trying to catch his gaze.

But Vincent's blood was already boiling and he had trouble trying to stop the beast from taking over him. He was breathing very hard and his chest was heaving uncontrollably. Vincent was facing the locker, his eyes still locked on the contents of it.

Catherine knew that she had to do something fast, before people were going to see him change. His face was already distorted. So from behind, she placed her hand over his heart and with the other, she held him tightly. She leaned forward, her forehead resting on his back, while whispering.

"Vincent. Please try to calm down. There are a lot of people here. Calm down, baby."

She didn't know why she used that word, but thankfully it helped. His face changed back again, while his breathing became normal again. But still, she held onto him. Her arms wrapped around his waist, smelling his familiar scent, enjoying the warmth of his body, her eyes closed, never wanting to let him go…

Vincent also had his eyes closed, relieved that the Beast wasn't unleashed. She used that word; baby. Hearing her say that, made his heart swell gloriously. Why? Why did she care so much about him? He didn't deserve her! She deserved someone much better than him. Why?

He knew that they had to talk about the almost-kiss, but for now he just wanted to enjoy being wrapped around her warm arms. Her perfume was so enticing, her hair smelled like roses and her skin felt so soft like silk. With his eyes closed, he focused on her. Only on her. How she held onto his stomach tightly, her fingers gripping at his shirt. How her heart was speeding up a bit, making him wonder why it acted that way. Was she scared that the Beast would come out or was it speeding up, because he was so close to her? Was his closeness too much for her? Did she like it? Or… did she love it?

Catherine reluctantly let go of him, although she never wanted to let go of him. She knew that people would be watching.

Clearing her throat, she said."We have to go. What are you going to do with all this stuff?" She was pointing at the contents of the locker.

"We are going to transfer everything into my back pack." He answered, his voice trembling.

He was still shocked about their discovery. Vincent still couldn't believe his own eyes.

"Everything?"she asked.

He shook his head."Everything except for the money."

Lots and lots of it was stashed in the locker…

()

They were back at the warehouse; both Catherine and Vincent were going through JT's work from the locker. On his way back, Vincent let out his anger and frustration by running through the underground tunnels.

In the locker, JT had hidden A LOT of files. TOP SECRET files. One of them was of a project that was TERMINATED. But then later was continued… by JT! That was the one Catherine's mom was working on, the project that turned Vincent and his colleagues into beasts (monsters). So, JT secretly was working for a man called Z. He was funding all the experiments JT had done. After reading the TOP SECRET files, Catherine and Vincent discovered that JT not only continued with experimenting on what Vincent was injected with. But he was also working on a serum that would allow people like Vincent to be controlled. So that they would obey orders.

Vincent shook his head."I can't believe that JT would do something like this."

The file that he was reading, fell on his lap while he covered his face with both hands.

"I don't get it!" he shouted.

Catherine's heart broke, to see him hurt like this. She grabbed a chair and sat in front of him."Vincent, listen to me. We don't know why JT did this. Okay, we have his notes. Maybe… maybe he was trying to find a cure for you. It's possible right? That he did it for you?" she said, while touching his hands.

Catherine wasn't sure of anything, but she wanted to believe in JT. Vincent felt betrayed by him. JT had written everything that Vincent was experiencing.

"Maybe the only reason why he took me in and kept me hidden, was so he could use it on his work. I trusted him! I thought we were trying to figure out a way to find a cure! But everything he told me, is a LIE! Maybe the man who we were talking on the phone was Z."

Vincent was still covering his face, so Catherine uncovered it by grabbing both of his hands and placed them on her cheeks, her eyes closed.

He looked at her and couldn't help but get overwhelmed by her act. Sighing deeply, he had the urge to wrap her in his arms and whisper in her ears that he loved her so much. He wanted desperately to give her a normal life, but he knew he would never be able to give her that. That realization hurt like hell. God! She meant everything to him. Everything…

After a couple of minutes, she opened her eyes and whispered." We aren't sure about anything, okay? Let's just try to find JT first. After we have saved him, you can yell at him all you want. But for now, let's focus on finding him. Please?"

He looked her straight in her hazel eyes and said."I'm not sure, if I want anything to do with him now. But you're right about finding him first."

"I wonder who Z is? How in heaven's name did JT get involved with such a man?! I think Z is bad news. " she stated, while his hands were still on hers.

"I think so too. JT wrote here, that Z wanted an army of his own to pursue his cause. That sounds very creepy. Very creepy indeed." Vincent replied, while enjoying her warm hands on his.

"How do you feel about it, Cat. That JT was continuing your mom's work?" he asked concerned.

She let go of his hands and got up from her chair, walking to the window.

"I don't know, Vincent. Its giving me a splitting head ache, though. Did JT only do it for the money or did he do it for you? And if Z has held him captive, is it because JT decided to stop working on the project? And also stop working on the serum to control people like you?" she responded.

They had more questions than answers and it was making them both dizzy!

"I don't know. I really don't know, Cat. And is it so, that Z already had an army? Let's hope not." he said, while walking towards Catherine.

She looked at him and asked." Do you know how we can find him, Vincent?"

He nodded."Yes, I found another key in the locker. It probably opens another locker from a train station." He whispered.

"Which train station?" she asked curiously.

"Probably the one at 87 East 42nd Street." He answered, while sighing deeply.

"Okay, second train station. Here we come!"Catherine said.

* * *

**Please review?**

**Ruby.**

**:)**


	14. Chapter 14

**I do not own Beauty and the Beast.**

* * *

**Hallo, my lovely readers. Oh my God! Thank you so much for reading my story, for following it, for putting it up as your fave and for the AWESOME reviews!**

**This is chapter 14, you guys. I hope you enjoy reading it. :)**

* * *

**Thank u so much for the reviews, you all!**

**And PLEASE REVIEW! More reviews, means that there surely will be a chapter 15 :)**

* * *

Again, Catherine drove to the station while Vincent went through the underground tunnels. He was still overwhelmed by all kinds of mixed feelings. JT had always been his friend. He didn't understand how he could betray him like this!

A sense of calmness came over him, while taking the path through the tunnels. He liked walking underground, because it made him feel safe. The roof tops were kind of okay too, but he liked the tunnels better. He knew the paths underground by heart.

Reaching the train station, made him feel anxious and nervous. He didn't know what they would find in the second locker; he could only hope the contents of it will lead them to JT.

Walking towards the locker, he caught Catherine watching him. She immediately looked the other way, acting like something caught her attention. Vincent sighed deeply, wishing… desperately wishing that he could show her how much he cared for her. Wishing that she could be his…

"I hope there's something in here that could help us find him." She said, while he stood next to her.

"Me too." he replied and gave the key to her.

She grabbed it and opened the locker. In it, they found 5 addresses. Nothing more was in it.

Catherine frowned, wondering what it meant.

"I think these are the addresses of the buildings Z owns." He said.

"Oh. I think you're right." she responded.

They decided to go to every address till they found JT. All of the addresses were in another state, but it didn't matter. They were determined to find their friend.

While Catherine locked the locker, Vincent watched her. He didn't know what dangers laid ahead; all he knew was that he was going to protect her with his life. He decided long ago, that that was his mission. He wasn't able to convince her to let him go by himself. So he decided to do everything in his power to keep her safe. No matter what…

God! He wished that he could tell her what he felt…

Catherine turned around and suddenly saw four men approaching Vincent and her. He immediately saw that there was something wrong. Turning around, he saw the men. They already had their guns in their hand.

She didn't want him to turn into the Beast, because there were still a lot of people near. She grabbed him by his arm and locked eyes with him. Catherine saw that he was about to turn, so she shook her head and whispered.

"No. Too many people are here. Don't, please."

Luckily the Beast listened; within seconds Vincent grabbed her and disappeared underground.

"Vincent, I have a bad feeling that they are still following us." she said, not realizing she was gripping on his arm.

"I know. I can hear them clearly. There are more, I think one or two dozen men." He replied, still walking fast.

After a while, Catherine got tired but she didn't complain.

"Catherine, are you tired?" he asked, concerned.

"Just a little bit. But don't worry about me. We have to keep moving." She answered, still doing her very best to keep up with him.

He looked at her and said." Of course I worry about you, Catherine."

She locked eyes with him, but decided to not comment.

He sighed deeply, but decided to let it go. For now.

"Do you think, Z send those men?" she asked.

He nodded and said."I think so. He did demand from me to not search for JT. I am pretty sure he is the one responsible. He doesn't want us to know more than we already do."

At one point, Vincent knew that those men were going to catch up on them. The men moved very fast. He assumed they were trained men and also had some kind of knowledge of the tunnels. But Vincent knew the underground tunnels from the inside out. They arrived at a spot where they could hide. Hiding was not something he liked to do, but at this point he didn't have a better option. He could turn and make the Beast come out, but they both didn't want him to kill more people. So, he told her about it and they both disappeared in the hiding spot. The spot was small and narrow; there was barely space for the both of them.

Catherine was scared that those men were going to find them, but at the moment she was terrified of something else entirely. Feeling Vincent's warm body pressed on hers, made her dizzy. Deliciously dizzy that is. His scent; a mix of his aftershave and purely _him_ was overwhelming her. Completely. She closed her eyes shut and almost forgot to breathe.

Why?! Why did she feel this way? She cared so much about him, but not long ago he rejected her by pulling away from the almost-kiss. Why?! Didn't he feel the same way about her? Was he made of **stone**?!

Vincent had a very hard time concentrating on the men who were following them. Why? The reason was this beautiful and incredible woman who was pressed up against him. Her scent was driving him nuts. The smell of her hair was intoxicating and her soft, petite body almost made him lose his mind!

He automatically closed his eyes and reveled in this wonderful feeling. Vincent could hear that the men were getting closer…

They both knew that they had to be quiet. Very quiet.

At one point, Catherine was so close to him that she let her forehead rest on his chest. She could hear his heart rate speeding up, making her smile… No, he **wasn't** made of stone… His heart was reacting the same way like hers was…

Vincent felt her breath on his skin and almost lost it. He had the sudden urge to kiss those red, plump lips of her… He mentally kicked himself for not kissing her earlier.

God! It must be a wonderful feeling to feel her lips on his. He was a 100 % sure of that.

Maybe he wasn't able to tell her how much he loved her, but he could try to show her. Pour all his love in that kiss. Oh, he could. Right?!

At the moment, the men were walking right passed them. They didn't know about the small hiding space, so they kept on walking…

The moment he knew that they were long gone, Vincent opened his eyes. Catherine sighed deeply, looking up at him. They locked eyes and at that moment, they both left their minds behind.

She wanted to… to say something, but he shushed her and placed his finger on her red lips.

"Can I?" he pleaded.

They were just 2 simple words, but she knew what he meant. Her heart hammered against her rib cage, while she nodded, giving him permission…

He cupped her face softly and looked her deep in the eyes. He wasn't able to use words, but in his eyes, she saw what he felt for her.

Slowly, he lowered his head. His heart ached, not able to contain all the love he had for her. God! He loved her. So much…

Catherine waited with anticipation to feel his lips on hers. She was terrified that he'd changed his mind. But the moment she felt his warm lips softly pressing on hers, all her fears disappeared. She was right; he wasn't made of stone. His lips were warm and soft, his fingers on her cheeks were setting her skin on fire. His warm body was setting her whole body ablaze…

At first the kiss was very soft and innocent, but it became more urgent with so much passion. Lips were moving, tongues were playing with each other and at one point, hands were touching and gripping and tugging. Her fingers grabbed his hair, while his hand disappeared in her soft, dark locks. He always wanted to know what it felt like to… to touch and smell her hair.

Breathes became ragged and shallow, bottom lips were being softly bitten while whimpers were being heard.

They got so lost into each other, lost in their passion for each other, that they almost didn't hear a phone ring.

She was the one who pulled away first, her chest heaving and locking eyes with him. Her hair was a mess and her cheeks were flushed. In her eyes, he saw desire and … love.

He swallowed hard and almost said those three words… but he chickened out at the last second.

She bit her bottom lip and whispered."Wow."

He smiled and answered."You can say that again."

His chest was heaving too, his heart beating loudly, wanting to come out of his chest. He brushed a lock from her face and said.

"Are you gonna get that? Your phone is ringing."

She chuckled and grabbed her phone from her pocket.

"Hallo."

* * *

**Please review?**

**Ruby.**

**:)**


	15. Chapter 15

**I do not own Beauty and the Beast.**

* * *

**Hallo, my lovely readers. Oh my God! Thank you so much for reading my story, for following it, for putting it up as your fave and for the AWESOME reviews!**

**This is chapter 15, you guys. I hope you enjoy reading it. :)**

**Thank u so much for the reviews, you all!**

**And PLEASE REVIEW! More reviews, means that there surely will be a chapter 16 :)**

* * *

Heather was the one who rudely interrupted their 'activities'. She was very worried about Cat, but she told her not to.

"Someone is with me, looking out for me. Don't worry, little sis." She said, while watching Vincent. He was studying one of the files that they found in JT's room.

"Who?" she asked curiously.

"Someone, okay. I cant tell you his na…" she said but got cut off by Heather.

"Oh my God! Is it your medical examiner friend… whats his name? Oh yes, Evan?" she asked.

Cat laughed loudly, making Vincent look up from his files.

"No, not him! I really gotta go, sweetie." She said.

From the other line, Cat suddenly heard Heather gasp out loud.

"Oh my God! Were you two making out just now? Is that the reason why you didn't pick up your phone immediately? OMG! Were you 'busy' with him. Oh please tell, is

he a **very good **kisser?" Heather rambled.

"No! We we w... Heather, stop it!" Cat exclaimed. Her cheeks have turned crimson red by now.

Heather smiled wickedly and stated." Remember what you told me: Keep it **SAFE**, sis!"

"Heather! Why you little…" she exclaimed, but her younger sister had hung up her phone, laughing wickedly.

Cat groaned and shook her head.

"What's the matter?" Vincent asked.

"No, nothing. Heather is just being... Heather that's all." She replied.

"Shall we?" he asked.

"Yes, we shall." Cat responded.

()

Cat and Vincent went back to the warehouse and grabbed the stuff that they would need for their journey. They were planning to go to the addresses to find JT. ROADTRIP!

They had been driving for 10 hours straight, when they decided to take a rest and eat some dinner. The drive was nice up until now. They had been talking a lot. About her family and about his. Vincent still desperately wanted to tell her how he felt about her, but he was waiting still. For what, he did not know.

Cat didn't feel rejected anymore, because in that kiss she discovered what she desperately needed to know. It didn't matter anymore that he hasn't told her yet. The important thing was, that she already found out without him using any words.

Now and again, they stole glances from each other, making Cat feel like there were butterflies in her tummy, dancing around. She really felt like a teenager. A teenager in love.

"Hey, this seems like a good place."Vincent said.

Cat saw a Bed and Breakfast."Okay, this will do then." She said.

Stepping out of the car, she said."I will check in and get 2 rooms. Will you take care of the luggage?"

He nodded in agreement, so she walked inside the building. Cat had taken care of her part and was waiting for Vincent.

"Okay, what is taking him so long?" she muttered.

It was already dark out, but she still could see clearly. She couldn't believe this was happening in the parking lot! Vincent was in his Beast form and was fighting more than 5 men! She saw and heard how the men were screaming from pain… It was the most horrific sight and sound that she'd witnessed. Cat had tears in her eyes and grabbed her gun. Firing a few bullets in the air, made Vincent stop with what he was doing!

The men who were able to do so, immediately got up and tried running away from him.

Cat walked closer to Vincent and whispered."It's okay. They're gone. And I am here."

His chest was still heaving, while he was still in his Beast form. She walked closer to him, till she was able to touch his face. Cat cupped his face and made him look at her.

"It's safe again. Relax." She whispered.

Within seconds, she saw his face change back to his human form.

"Vincent." she said.

He heard how her heart was speeding up. In her eyes, he saw only love…

They were gazing into each other eyes. And just as he was about to say something, the owner of the Bed and Breakfast walked out to give Cat their keys.

After Cat accepted the keys, they silently walked towards their rooms. Their rooms were next from each other.

When they reached their destination, Cat turned and worriedly asked."Who were they?"

"My guess is that they were Z's men." He answered, sighing deeply.

"Did they say anything to you?"she asked.

"Nope. They surrounded me and tried to capture me." he replied.

It was then, when Cat saw the deep gash on his arm.

"Oh my, Vincent! You're hurt! Let me see that." She exclaimed.

Looking at it closely, she saw that he was bleeding a lot.

"Come inside my room. I must take care of it." She stated.

Vincent followed her inside and she said."Sit on the chair, please?"

He did as she asked and looked around. The room was very nice and neat. It was a girlie room. PINK.

Cat walked out of the bathroom, with a first aid kit in her hands. She grabbed a chair and sat in front of him, inspecting the deep wound.

She grabbed a scissor. And just as she was about to cut the part of his T-shirt where his deep gash was in his upper arm, he stopped her.

"Let me make it easier for you." He whispered and pulled his T-shirt over his head.

Cat swallowed hard, seeing him shirtless. She knew that she should be looking at his gash, but instead her eyes locked on his chest… and his six pack…

She almost went berserk. Vincent had purposely done it to tease her. He wickedly smiled and placed his finger on her chin, making her look him in the eyes.

"Cat, I don't think my gash is on my chest…" he whispered.

Her heart began to speed up, while her cheeks were flushed. Avoiding his gaze, she began working on his wound. He was watching her closely. Very closely. She was trying to concentrate on patching him up the best that she could.

"I'm not a doctor like you. So forgive me if I don't do it properly." She said, her voice very shaky.

Still watching her, he smiled."It's okay. I'm sure that you'll do well." He said with his throaty, deep voice.

A shiver went up and down her spine, hearing him say that.

'God! Please let me be able to control myself.' She thought.

He was still watching her and she almost shouted.' Stop looking at me like that! You make me nervous!'

But instead, her hands began to tremble while patching him up. He saw it and a wicked smile crept on his face.

"That really isn't funny, Vincent." she accused.

"What?" he said, acting innocent.

"You know what." She stated.

"I really do not know what you're talking about, Cat." He lied, while he smirked.

Cat _**so**_ wanted to shut him up by crashing her lips onto his, taking his breath away... But that was such a bad idea! Vincent was injured. She had to take care of his deep gash.

She sighed deeply and _**tried **_to concentrate on her task. He didn't even say 'ouch' one single time. He was still watching her intensively, but she tried ignoring him. She thought back on the day that she listened to JT's last message.

When she thought that something had happened to Vincent, she needed to open up and tell him how she felt. But when he gave her the cold shoulder, she didn't want to tell him anymore. He was acting like such a jerk, but he only did that cause he wanted to protect her.

Was this the right time to tell him though? It sure felt like it. Should she now tell him how she felt about him? That she couldn't live a day without him anymore? That she was scared to death to discover one day that he was captured by Muirfield? That he meant the world to her? That she constantly worried about him? That she loved him _**so**_much, that it almost hurt her physically when he was not with her? Should she? Really?

* * *

**Will she?**

**Please review?**

**Ruby.**

**:)**


	16. Chapter 16

**I do not own Beauty and the Beast.**

* * *

**Hallo, my lovely readers. Oh my God! Thank you so much for reading my story, for following it, for putting it up as your fave and for the AWESOME reviews!**

**This is chapter 16, you guys. I hope you enjoy reading it. :)**

**Thank u so much for the reviews, you all!**

**And PLEASE REVIEW! More reviews, means that there surely will be a chapter 17 :)**

* * *

**And you guys, can you PLEASE give my story, The curse of Agathe, a chance and read it? Once you are on chap 4 or 5, you will not want to stop reading. Thank u in advance, my lovelies. :)**

* * *

_**Was this the right time to tell him though? Should she? Really?**_

Catherine was still contemplating what to do. She was almost done with patching him up and he was still watching her. He knew that she wanted to say something; it seemed to be very important.

"Vincent, I…" she began, at the same moment he said.

"So, I think… "

They both began to laugh. Vincent was in awe at the moment. In awe of her beauty, of her smile and laughter.

"What did you want to say, Vincent?" she asked.

"You first." He said.

"No, you go first." She retorted.

He chuckled and said."Those men, they're going to come back. We should stay somewhere else. Don't you think?"

She nodded in agreement and got up from her chair."Let's go, you are as good as new. Even though I say so myself."

Cat was very satisfied with her own work. He also got up and locked eyes with her. She placed her hand on his upper arm, near his wound and studied her own work.

"See, it's all good." She said.

Vincent felt a shiver go through his spine. The feel of her hands on his skin, was setting it on fire! Now she was teasing. She scraped her fingernails on his bare skin, driving him completely mad! She felt him shiver, making her almost laugh out loud.

"Okay, let's go." He managed to say, his voice even deeper than usual.

Cat grabbed her stuff and walked behind Vincent out the door with her hand bag in her hand. She was still thinking about the tension between them not so long ago. If he had made a move, she wasn't sure if she would've had the strength to behave. Oh, she would've surely caved. Where did her self control disappear to?

()

They had driven for 45 minutes, when Cat couldn't keep her eyes open anymore.

"Hey, this seems like a good place. Let's just take this one. You must be exhausted." He said softly.

They checked in and paid for 2 rooms next to each other. Vincent decided to take a shower and after that, he promised to cook her a warm home cooked meal. There was a grocery store nearby, so while Cat was still in her room, Vincent bought the stuff he needed to cook.

He was in the kitchen, when Cat knocked on the door.

"Come in." he called.

The second she stepped inside his room, her mouth watered. The meal he was preparing for her smelled so good.

"Hey." She greeted him.

"Hey." He replied, then went back to preparing the vegetables.

Vincent had poured her a glass of wine, so Cat grabbed the glass and asked.

"Is the wine mine?"

He turned around and nodded."Yes, all yours."

"I can help." she said.

"Nope, you have been driving all day long. Now it's time for you to sit back and relax." He replied.

Cat smiled and took a seat on the couch, trying to watch some T.V. But her mind drifted off to him. God, he looked so hot, cutting vegetables...

()

Cat really enjoyed the meal. It was delicious! Vincent was glad that he was able to do this one thing for her. After dinner, they ate some ice cream and talked about JT and Z and his men. They were watching a movie, when suddenly Vincent felt that she was slowly leaning on him and at some point her head fully rested on his upper arm. He looked at her and saw that her eyes were closed. She had fallen asleep during the movie. He smiled and thought.

'She must be exhausted.'

He moved carefully and got up. He then decided to carry her to her bed. Vincent took her in his arms and carried her to the bedroom. Holding her warm body so close to him, made him so happy. The feel of her skin on his, was accelerating. Even in slumber, she was able to take his breath away. God! He loved her so much! She snored lightly, making him chuckle softly. To him, even that was endearing. Her heart was beating at a steady pace. He then laid her on the bed and covered her with a blanket. While she was sleeping, he watched how her hair fell around her gorgeous face, like a halo. So beautiful…

It was cold in the room, so he adjusted the air-conditioning in her room. He didn't want her to be cold. Vincent was watching her silently and was glad that she was sleeping peacefully. One night he was outside on her fire escape and heard her cry in her sleep. She was having a nightmare and just as he was about to come in her bedroom, he heard Heather wake her up. Cat was sobbing in her arms, talking incoherently about her mom.

That night, he stayed outside her apartment till the morning. It pained him so much, not being able to protect her from the past. He tried to talk to her about it, but she avoided that topic. Maybe one day, she will trust him enough to confide in him. Vincent was patient, so it didn't matter when she was going to decide to tell him.

He let out a deep breath and walked out her room. When he stepped into his room, he went to the bathroom first to freshen up. Vincent just got into bed, thinking about her. He desperately wanted to tell Cat, but he knew that there was no turning back if he confessed his love to her. They still had a long road ahead together; what if she wasn't ready to hear his confession? He didn't want to make it awkward for her. No, he must wait a bit longer. He too was exhausted from the trip, so within minutes he fell into slumber…

Suddenly Vincent was awoken by someone repeating a word. It took him a couple of moments to realize where he was. Oh yes, he was sleeping in a motel room and Cat's room was next to his. It was Catherine! Even though she was in the next room, he was able to hear her cause of his super senses. She was repeating a word while her voice trembled of fear. Without hesitation, he practically ran towards her. Oh God! Was she in danger?! Vincent felt that he was about to turn; the Beast wanted out! Cat was in danger! But when he barged into her room, he saw her tossing and turning in her sleep with her hand stretched out and saying.

"Mom, mom, mom! Please don't leave me!"

When the Beast realized that she wasn't in any danger, he changed back into Vincent. It took him a couple of seconds, before he reached her. It broke Vincent's heart to see her like this. He stood next to the bed and lightly grabbed her upper arm, trying to wake her up. Apparently he wasn't gentle enough, because she woke up startled and began to scream.

"No! Don't hurt my mom! Please, don't hurt her!"

Cat was terrified; her eyes wide open, her heart beating abnormally fast and she moved to the corner of the bed, far away from him as she was able to. The sight of her was heartbreaking; he was afraid that she'd never get over that horrible night when her mom was murdered. It even hurt him physically, thinking about that night 9 years ago. He too had sleepless nights, these past years, wishing that he was able to save Cat's mother also.

Cat wrapped her arms around herself and closed her eyes. After a couple moments, Vincent went closer to her.

"Hey, it's just me. I am not going to hurt you. You know that right." he said softly.

At one point, she opened her eyes and realized that she had a nightmare. It was then, when she let go…

Catherine began to sob loudly and uncontrollably; her whole body shook from her sobs. Vincent sat as close to her as possible and wrapped his arms around her. The feel of his arms wrapped around her body, made her feel so safe. Even without using any words, she felt like the heavy burden that she had been carrying for 9 long years, wasn't that heavy anymore. Vincent was here, helping to carry it with her. Meg, the woman from the Bed and Breakfast, was right when she said that she should share her feelings with her loved ones. And Vincent was undoubtedly one of her loved ones.

It felt so good and she felt so relieved; she didn't have to keep her feelings to herself anymore. Vincent ran his hand softly through her hair and had his eyes closed.

"Shhhh… it's alright. I am here." he whispered.

After her sobs came to an end, he reluctantly let go of her and tried to catch her gaze.

"I'm sorry." She said softly, avoiding his gaze.

Vincent tried to look her in the eyes."Hey, it's okay. You don't have to apologize, okay."He said softly.

Cat still didn't look him in the eyes, so he asked.

"Catherine, will you** please** look at me?"

But she was so afraid to lock eyes with him. It felt amazing, when she was in his arms. But to let him see her so vulnerable, was terrifying too. And it felt so good to be in his arms; now she wanted **more**. More than that. Only with one embrace, he was able to make her feel better. They didn't need words to understand each other. She didn't have to tell him what the nightmare was about; he knew it. And she didn't have to talk to him about it in order to feel better. Words were not necessary.

Catherine wanted more from him. She wanted to be more than friends. He waited patiently for her, but she still refused to look at him. Vincent gently cupped her face and tilted her head, so she would look at him. But her eyes were closed, so he asked once more.

"Will you look at ME, please?"

She then sighed deeply and finally looked into his eyes. What he saw in her eyes, made his heart soar. The love that he saw in her eyes was overwhelming. Vincent inhaled her scent and closed his eyes. He wanted to say.

'Please don't look at me like that!'

In her eyes, he read a confession. One that he had been waiting for so long. He wanted to answer her by kissing her lips, to convince her that he felt the same way. They didn't need words, not at all. He looked down to her lips, but shook his head. Without warning, Catherine got closer to him and made her move.

She cupped his face and softly brushed her lips against his, pouring all her love in that one kiss. Her lips against his, made his head spin. Vincent had his eyes closed, his fingers gripping the sheets. He wanted to tear his lips from her and say those 3 little words… but he didn't have the strength to.

She moved her lips slowly, savoring every feeling, like she wanted this moment to last forever.

Suddenly she had her hands in his hair, tugging on it real hard as they deepened the kiss. He then ran his fingers through her hair, while kissing her with so much passion it left them both aching for more. Their lips began to move faster, leaving them both breathless.

Vincent felt that she was locking her fingers around his neck. She moaned softly.

"Vincent." Catherine needed him so.

He knew that they should stop. RIGHT NOW. He shouldn't let it go out of hand. She was too vulnerable right now. She needed his comfort, but not this. Not now. He knew that he should, but he was too weak to pull away from her sweet kisses and caresses.

At one point, Vincent felt her hands wonder under his shirt. Her hand was touching his already heated skin. God! He was about to lose his mind. At one point, she tried to help him out of his shirt. And that was it. Vincent didn't know where he got the strength from, but he pulled away, making her whimper softly at the loss of his hot lips on hers. He was looking at her with pleading eyes.

"Oh God! Please stop. Please stop, Catherine." He whispered, his chest heaving and his breathing ragged.

She opened her eyes, her chest also heaving. She looked him in the eyes and asked."Why?"

He shook his head and said."I don't want to take advantage of you. Do you wanna talk about your nightmare?"

She swallowed hard and said."Yes, I do."

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******PLEASE give my story, The curse of Agathe, a chance and read it? :)**

**Ruby.**

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	17. Chapter 17

**_I don't own BATB... _**

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**_They make me happy._**

**_Here is chap 17! _**

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**_Review?_**

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**Do you wanna talk about your nightmare?"**

**She swallowed hard and said."Yes, I do."**

The rest of the night, Catherine poured her heart out. She told Vincent everything. About the nightmares she had of her mother, every single night. That she hadn't been able to sleep peacefully for years now. Every time she closed her eyes, all she saw was her mother being shot to death. She also told him, why she had to go away. Where she wanted to go and why.

Catherine and Vincent were sitting next to each other on her bed. She looked away from him and whispered.

"Before JT got taken, I was on my way to the place where you saved my life for the first time, 9 years ago. The same place where my mom was murdered. I am not sure what I will find there, but I just felt like I needed to go there. Even if it was just for one last time. My heart tells me that I need to be there and maybe… just maybe I could get the closure that I so desperately seek, that I so desperately wanted, so I could go on with my life…" her voice was trembling.

Vincent placed his hand on her cheek and slowly turned her face towards him.

"But then JT was taken and I had to come back. And so here we are." She said, while looking at him and then trying to avoid his gaze again.

Besides her dad and Heather, she hadn't talked with anyone else about her mom, about her feelings. It felt so good to be able to have someone that listened, really listened to her. Vincent didn't try to force her to tell her more and wasn't judgmental or tried to tell her to get over it or advised her to talk to a shrink. He just sat there and listened to her. And that's what she needed; someone who was there for her and who just simply listened…

"I uhumm… I have always been afraid of losing someone close to me. But when my mom died, it got only worse. I was afraid to sleep… I uhumm… in the middle of the night I used to wake up gasping for air, terrified to lose Heather. I then jump out of bed and run to her room to see if she's ok. And I always find her in her bed, safe. Before my dad met my stepmother I used to call him in the middle of the night, asking if he was alright." She chuckled and shook her head…"Crazy, huh? But I couldn't help it, Vincent. I don't think I could survive if something happened to either one of them."

During her confession, Vincent had intertwined their fingers, their hands locked tightly. But he couldn't help, but loosened his tight grip a bit. She talked about her dad and her sister. What about him? What did he mean to her? He couldn't help the selfish thought, a bit jealous of her loved ones.

As she felt more and more comfortable with him around and him knowing her deepest, darkest secrets, Catherine grabbed both his hands in hers and looked at him lovingly. She brought his left hand towards her lips and with her eyes closed, she kissed it softly. Then she did the same with his right hand, her eyes still closed. It was like she was able to read his mind…

"You mean so much to me, Vincent. You mean the world to me, you do know that right? I uhumm, I cannot name it yet… the feelings I have for you. But I do know that they are very strong and pure. I've never felt this way before for someone. If I would just simply said, that I loved you. Then I'd be lying… do you know why? Because this… this thing that I feel for you… it is more than love… it is so much stronger and deeper than that." She confessed.

After hearing her confession, he got a huge lump in his throat and his eyes got teary. He gave her a light peck on her lips and smiled.

"You are pretty incredible, do you know that?" he whispered.

She gazed into his eyes and nodded."Yeah, a lot of people say that."

Vincent chuckled and rolled his eyes at her playfully.

"Thank you for listening to me, Vince." She said.

"That's what I am here for, Catherine." He replied.

Vincent looked at his watch and said."It's almost 4 in the morning, Cat. Aren't you tired? Wanna get some rest?" he asked.

She nodded, but he saw a little bit of fear in her eyes.

"Cat, are you alright?" he asked.

"Yup." She lied and nodded, but he saw right through her.

He sighed and said what he said next, even though he was afraid of how his body would react if they would be that close.

"Want me to…uhumm… sleep next to you?" he asked.

She looked up at him, her heartbeat kicking up a notch. And of course he noticed it and also she knew that he noticed it.

'Dang you, Vincent Keller with your advanced hearing!' she thought.

"Yes, I'd like that. I would feel safer with you so close." She replied, biting her lip.

She took the left side of the bed and he took the right side. She felt really comfortable with him next to her; she didn't even feel a little awkward. It was like she often had been sleeping next to him… weird, huh? Her eyes closed without her accord and the feel of the warmth of his body, made her even sleepier. It felt so safe with him next to her on the bed…all her fears evaporated into thin air…

Catherine had a huge urge to snuggle closer to him, yet she was satisfied by their closeness at the moment. Automatically a wide smile graced her gorgeous face. She felt that she was about to fall asleep. So before that happened, she said something that made his heart swell gloriously. Her words were:

"Vincent, I don't even want to think about the possibility of losing you. You know why? Because I simply know that my heart will **not** survive that."

Vincent's warm, snugly body was the last thing on her mind, before Catherine drifted off to dreamland…

After a couple of minutes, Vincent heard that she was fast asleep. Her heart was beating steadily, her body radiating warmth. He couldn't believe they were sleeping in one bed! That was the thought that stayed with him, while he lied next to her. He took a deep breath, her amazing scent teasing his nostrils. God! She smelled amazing! Like vanilla and roses. He kept inhaling her scent, like he wanted to swallow it. It was pure bliss.

He never knew that a person could smell this good. He opened his eyes and saw that her dark, shiny hair was framing her face. Beautiful, gorgeous. He didn't think words could describe her beauty at this very moment. She had a peaceful look on her face. Vincent had to smile satisfied, because a few hours ago when he woke her up from her nightmare, she had a face filled with fear. And now he saw the opposite… that satisfied him very much, knowing that he took her fears away, even if it was just for a short time. He then admired her gorgeous hair. He had the urge to caress it, but he held himself back… he wasn't sure if he could trust himself…

So instead he closed his eyes again and listened to her heartbeat… it was like music in his ears. It was really nice to have a warm body next to him in bed. Not long after, Vincent too fell asleep... dreaming of him and Catherine… Together…

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**_Ruby._**

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